[EchoGSD]

Ever wonder how some dogs end up as strays, are turned over to and posted at the shelter as a found dog, and no owner ever shows up to claim them? Many times these dogs are described as probably purebred, housebroken, well behaved, knows tricks, etc. Indicates that SOMEONE spent some $$, took an interest, spent time, and most likely loved the dog. Why would that someone not be willing or able to find their dog? If my dog were lost, I'd be canvassing every shelter, rescue group, website, vet's office, grooming salon, training facility, etc non-stop.

 

[Whiteshepherds]

Yes, I wonder about it a lot! ...but don't know why or how it happens.

 

[gsdraven]

Ever wonder how some dogs end up as strays, are turned over to and posted at the shelter as a found dog, and no owner ever shows up to claim them? Many times these dogs are described as probably purebred, housebroken, well behaved, knows tricks, etc. Indicates that SOMEONE spent some $$, took an interest, spent time, and most likely loved the dog. Why would that someone not be willing or able to find their dog? If my dog were lost, I'd be canvassing every shelter, rescue group, website, vet's office, grooming salon, training facility, etc non-stop.

I know this is probably the exception but I have a friend whose 13 yr old small dog (don't know the breed) got loose. They searched for a month to get her back. She somehow ended up in the city Animal Control (dog lived in the suburbs 45 min away) who spayed her and handed her off to a rescue over two hours away from her original home. Not sure how they finally found her since the shelters here won't tell you which rescue a dog went to. Sometimes it just takes longer to find them than some shelters are willing to give the dog.

And then there are the owners who have decided they don't want the dog anymore and just let him/her loose.

 

[DJEtzel]

I don't get it either. We always test strays with commands to see if there could be a family looking for them, and in the last week we've had 3 strays brought in that know at least two commands. One is a BC that knows how to speak, sit, down, roll over, and stay. Boggles my mind. And it's not like he has ANY issues to speak of that we can tell. He's healthy and has good manners.

 

[crisp]

On a related note, any of you folks who work with rescue groups/shelters notice an increase in strays/dropped off dogs? I heard once that the holidays are a bad time for pets. A friend who worked at a shelter told me people have families visiting and get rid of their dogs to avoid the nussance of dealing with them at the time. Is that true? Horrible if it is.

 

[gsdraven]

On a related note, any of you folks who work with rescue groups/shelters notice an increase in strays/dropped off dogs? I heard once that the holidays are a bad time for pets. A friend who worked at a shelter told me people have families visiting and get rid of their dogs to avoid the nussance of dealing with them at the time. Is that true? Horrible if it is.

Yes, it is. The next couple of weeks is usually bad. Some people actually drop their older dog off because they got a new puppy for Christmas and "they aren't getting along". Summer is the other really busy hit because people drop them off instead of boarding them when going on vacation and the Christmas puppies are now big and out of control because they didn't train them.

 

[Sunstreaked]

I think a lot of people see "cute puppy" and assume it will grow into a well-trained dog - without any effort on their part, however. It should just "be a dog", but they don't know what to do to help their puppy. Some, of course, don't care.

This is the first time I have ever worked intentionally to "shape" a puppy into the dog we want when she's grown. Frankly, I was astonished at what I did not know.

My saving grace, so to speak, is that I KNOW I don't know and I really want to learn.

 

[crisp]

That is aweful! I will never understand how anyone could get rid of a dog. I understand life changes sometimes dictate actions. But some of the lfe changes seem more of a cop out. I've had two kids since we've gotten Clark, moved, was temporarily unemployed... I've actually found that my pooch was quite a great companion to have through all those moments.

 

[DJEtzel]

Yes Crisp, it is true. Not only do dogs get dropped off (AND puppies that shouldn't have been gifts) in the month or two after christmas, but the start of winter marked a huge spike in owner surrenders to our shelter because they were afraid their dog would die outside in the winter and didn't want to bring them in. We've gotten in TONS of dogs of all sizes, in terrible skin/coat condition that you know were kept outside all their short lives, and some have even been pregnant. We have an English Springer in right now with the worst coat and eye conditions, probably 40-50 days pregnant already.

 

[EchoGSD]

I have the deepest respect for folks who do animal rescue and work at shelters...I've worked in animal hospitals for years and even that gets hard when owners don't or won't take proper care of their pets. In my world, thankfully, this is the exception...most pets are at a clinic because their owners DO care about their well being. I doubt I'd be able to contain my outrage at the circumstances in a shelter, and I know for sure I'd have more animals at my house than I already do.

 

[DJEtzel]

^ It's easier when we (the kennel staff) don't see the owners who dropped the dogs off, or don't know an owner because it was a shelter pull or stray.

We can only love the dogs and take the best care of them we can.

I used to work the front desk at a shelter along with the kennel. THAT was hard. I got into MANY disputes with stupid people, but we didn't recieve nearly the amount of careless owner surrenders or messed up dogs there that we do here.

 

[GSDolch]

There are probably alot of reasons. Mix up at animal control/shelter (sorry but it does happen) the dog is to far away and the search isnt wide enough, dogs are picked up by people who think they can keep the dog, dogs are taken from yards and people think they just got out, people move, dog gets loose, dog goes to its home it knows, people decide the dog is better off at the shelter, owners lie about it being a stray, owners decide they really didn't want that puppy after it got big...etc etc etc.

I'm sure there are other reasons too.

 

[white trouble]

Makes me sick what people do-and dont do-to their animals.i have 14 rescue dogs,and am always taking in strays and rehoming them or running after a dog that i have just seen tossed out of a car. Alot of people just think of animals as property,items,not as living things and definately not part of the family. All my dogs are microchipped and i would be devasted if i ever lost one. I get enough upset about strays that i cant catch and get out of the cold...i wish there were no animal number restrictions-although i have worked out a deal with animal control by me-in towns or cities,people are allowed to breed and have as many children they want,running loose and terrorizing the neighborhoods,so more responsible people could take in and keep these poor animals....out by me they have actually started a type of "public aid" for pets and their owners. You can get food,medical-vaccines,spay/nueter,any other surgeries needed-and all the heartguard/flea control you need...i think thats wonderful. It may help some people who cant afford to keep their pets keep them and not turn them loose or bring them to shelters....pepsi gives grants out once a year,they have a program called "furry friends" you can vote for.

 

[sitstay]

I know that it was hard for me to believe when I first started to volunteer and then work in a shelter...but there are a lot of owners out there who will have a dog go missing and never contact a shelter to report a lost dog. They assume that their dog was found by someone who really liked it, so why look for it if it is being "hidden" by the finder. I have actually had phone calls from former owners who started looking for a new dog, went on the shelter's website and saw a picture of their "old" dog. They are shocked to discover that asking their neighbor if they had seen the dog when it first went missing wasn't really good enough as searches go. And you wouldn't believe how many people out there believe their dog was stolen-the dog had to have been stolen because he had never gone farther than the corner before. A thief isn't going to report as found a dog they just stole, right? So why bother looking at a shelter.

Also, a fair number of "strays" are actually being surrendered by their owners. The owner doesn't want to pay the surrender fee, or doesn't want to face any reaction that might be perceived as judgmental.
Sheilah