Behavior & Training - What to Do if You Think an Animal Has Been Abandoned - by Sharon Mear and Elizabeth Rodman - September 2005 - Out of the Cage!, the E-Newsletter of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

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Behavior & Training

What to Do if You Think an Animal Has Been Abandoned

by Sharon Mear and Elizabeth Rodman

Has this dog been abandoned, or is she awaiting her person's return?

One recent evening while on the way to a neighborhood restaurant, we were walking down a well-trafficked avenue when we noticed two dogs tied to the gate of an abandoned storefront. What caught our eye was how dark and deserted this part of the street was; it would have been easy to miss the dogs. They seemed anxious and a little frightened. As we got closer we saw no visible identifying tags. We feared they'd been abandoned.

How many dozens of times do any of us pass dogs that are outside on a city street, tied (or sometimes, not), apparently — hopefully — awaiting the return of a momentarily absent owner. We imagine that person — someone who probably has nothing but good intentions in taking his or her pooch for a walk while hurrying through a few quick errands. While we hope the owner will appear from inside some nearby store or restaurant — what if no owner comes? What can any of us do when confronted with the situation of a possibly abandoned animal? In the immediate instance, how do we safely approach the animal — to look for identification or check for injuries? And then, who can we call for help and how can we get the animal to a safe and protected environment? Further, if it is one who is lost — how can we connect to a network that might succeed in locating its owner?

Safety first. Do not approach a dog until you are certain he is calm and comfortable with you.

These were some of the questions we asked ourselves during our encounter with those two forlorn-looking pooches. We — and they — were fortunate that evening. About an hour-and-a-half after we came upon them, their owner did present herself. True, she was defensive when seeing the small group of concerned neighbors who had gathered to help these two potentially abandoned dogs. Thankfully they had a home and were being reclaimed before any rescue group was called to take them away.

So — here's what we suggest you can do if you think an animal has been abandoned or lost, with two different outcomes (Scenario I & II) based upon our collected experiences:

Your safety should be your main concern. Do not assume a dog is friendly just because his or her tail is wagging.

First Steps:

1)	Observe without approaching or attempting to touch. Do not walk up to the dog and try to pet him. Stand at a distance and watch. Does he/she seem skittish or fearful?
2)	Don't be shy about asking people walking by if the animal is familiar — do they recognize it as one they have seen with an owner or a walker?
3)	Go in and check at nearby stores and restaurants. Ask the counter people, cashiers and maitre d's to inquire with customers if they have a dog tied up outside.
4)	Provide water, especially if it is hot outside, as it has been this summer (most delis and groceries have plastic or aluminum containers), and present it to the animal, leaving it nearby. Don't bother him/her while drinking.

The Approach:

When you are sufficiently convinced that the animal is calm enough for you to approach, do so — slowly, evenly, while talking in a soothing tone, without making direct eye contact. It's better to approach at a slight angle instead of straight on. Don't extend your hand for the dog to sniff; wait until he moves to sniff you. If you are too nervous — DO NOT approach: dogs sense emotions and will pick up on your distress. By all means, if you have some dog treats — toss a few to the animal as you start to approach.

If you have determined the animal is calm enough to get close to, check for ID tags. If there are no tags and you know of a vet or shelter in the area, call and ask if they will scan the animal for an identifying microchip. But before you attempt to move the animal to that location or anywhere else — WAIT. Give the potential owner as much time as possible to return and claim his or her animal.

And Finally:

Scenario I – If the owner returns and wants to know what you and anyone else who has gathered around his/her dog are doing…

If a dog has no tags or other identifying information and her person does not return, contact a no-kill rescue group, vet, or breed rescue in your area to arrange for care until her person, or an adopter, can be found.

In most instances be prepared for that person to be defensive and likely unable to hear that it was concern for their animal that motivated your presence. If you really want the owner to become conscious of the dangers inherent on a city street for ANY vulnerable animal, then the last thing to convey here is your anger at such ignorance or what you may initially read as neglect. Your lecture is sure to fall on deaf ears and an attack will only be counter-productive. Remember: the animal is your concern and you have a better chance at influencing this owner by speaking from your own experience and your heart. Say what you know is true but do it without being accusatory.

Or…

Scenario 2– If no tags or other identifying information are found — or if you have no other alternative after giving the situation as much time as possible (for the owner to return), you can:

•	Call a no-kill rescue group or shelter in your area or a vet in the neighborhood and ask them to board or arrange foster care for the animal while you (and they) attempt to locate the owner. (Click here for a list of rescue groups and area shelters.)
•	Call AC&C (Animal Care & Control of New York City) There are five locations: dial 311 in New York City and (212) NEW-YORK (outside NYC) and report the animal as found, so that if someone is looking for their lost pet, the information will be there. If at all possible, use AC&C as a networking resource, not the place to deliver the animal — they have far too many animals and often can't keep new intakes for very long.
•	If the dog appears to be a pure breed, contact a breed rescue group for that particular breed. You can generally locate pure breed rescue groups by doing a Google search on the Internet.
•	Meanwhile, if you can't temporarily take care of the animal yourself, before it is taken anywhere, take a photo of him/her. Then make up flyers and post them around the area where the animal was found and at retail outlets in the neighborhood. It is important that you withhold some critical piece of information for identification so you can be certain that anyone stepping forward to claim the animal is in fact its legitimate owner. (For example, if found with a collar, have the person describe the collar, or have them describe some marking on the animal's body.)

Knowing what steps to take and who to contact when encountering a lost or abandoned animal is critical. Our list is merely a start that can and should be improved as additional neighborhood networks are developed and added to those already in place. In the meantime, though, we say: if you have many errands to run, please leave your dog at home.

Sharon Mear, behavior counselor, trainer, and owner of New York-based Training Cats and Dogs, provides training and behavioral counseling for dogs and cats and the people who love them. Sharon is a regular participant and counselor at the "Ask the Trainer" table at Mayor's Alliance/Maddie's Pet Adoption Festivals. One of her own adopted felines, Mr. "Cheeks" Gillespie, chose Sharon as his own after observing her for years from a perch outside her bedroom window! Sharon was featured in the October 2004 issue of Out of the Cage!

Elizabeth Rodman, a New Yorker who works as a film producer and also provides media communications services to small businesses and entrepreneurs, is an animal activist at heart. Her two girls, Ruby and Kooper, like most cats in our communities, were rescues from horrific circumstances: Ruby was retrieved from a Brooklyn garbage bin and came to her via A Cause for Paws and Symphony Vet; Kooper was found wandering in an Upper East Side parking lot and adopted through KittyKind at Petco/Union Square.

If you have a behavior or training question or topic you'd like to see addressed in this column, please e-mail it to us at info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org.