What Can I Do?

I FOUND A DOG, NOW WHAT?

This is a big question and one that people are faced with every day, unfortunately…

1. FIND OUT IF THE DOG IS MICROCHIPPED

You can find out whether or not a dog is microchipped by taking him or her to the vet. A microchip is a rice sized chip found in the dog’s neck. The vet simply waves a wand over the area and is able to access all owner information.

microchip placment

2. IF THE DOG DOES NOT HAVE A MICROCHIP…

If the dog is not microchipped and has no collar the best thing to do is to foster and place it in a home YOURSELF. Many people want to immediately hand the dog off to shelters and to local rescues instead of taking it on themselves. It’s understandable, BUT rescues and shelters are overrun with dogs and sadly more often than not, do not have room or the ability to help. People are not getting their dogs fixed and are not responsible, so now it becomes the responsible members of society’s job to pick up the slack.

3. GET THE DOG FIXED

If you find a dog that does not have an owner and is not fixed then the first thing you’ll want to do is GET THEM FIXED! Normal vets can cost hundreds. If you have hundreds to burn than by all means, do what is convenient for you. If you don’t… GOOGLE spay and neuter vouchers” in your city. There are spay and neuter mobile facilities that travel around you can go to or you can drop him off any many shelters on certain days and they will do it for around $75. Sometimes even less. GOOGLE low cost spay & neuter clinics” in your city.  Many will come up. Is it convenient? NO. Is it fun? NO. BUT… will you be saving a life and potentially many thousands more by getting the dog fixed? YES. Is any of this your fault? NO. Is it some idiots fault you have never met that is a waste of space? YES. But that’s how it is and as members of society, it’s up to US…the one’s who care to make it better and the only way to do that is by DOING.

4. BE PATIENT

So, now that you have taken it upon yourself to save this life, remember: BE PATIENT. It takes time. The dog may get adopted in 5 days the dog may get adopted in 18 months, but will depend on what you put into it. We are lucky enough to live in a day and age where we can reach many many people with a click of a mouse. USE THAT. You have much more power than you think. Although finding a dog can and does feel helpless, you CAN place the dog yourself.

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PLACING A DOG

1. Start by taking GREAT photos of the dog.

If you don’t have a great camera, iphone photos if done in good light look AMAZING. Blurry, dark photos don’t help. People need to see who they are considering adopting. Put an adorable collar on the dog. No prong collars or chains and sometimes adding graphics to the photo or funny captions help.

2. Find out as MUCH information as you can about the dog.

Is he good with cats? Good in the car? Is there food aggression? Good with kids? Good with other dogs? How does he walk on the leash? Approximate age? The more details you can offer the better.

3. Write up his entire story to the best of your ability.

If there are things you know and have seen WRITE IT UP! If he hates cats or is weird around kids… WRITE IT UP! Not everyone has kids or cats so it won’t matter. May it take longer to home him? Maybe, but you don’t want to set any dog or human up for failure, so disclose all you know and keep doing it. Keep updating the story the more you know. Where found, approximate age, behaviors, what he likes to do, etc. People want to know the story and the more they know, the more they become invested.

4. Promote the dog on social media.

Create a Facebook page, Twitter account, or Instagram account for him. Give him a name and post new photos DAILY. People will be more likely to adopt if they see progress and get a sense of his temperament and daily exercise needs. If running all those accounts is too much, get others to help you and SHARE SHARE SHARE! Make it a mission!

5. Post flyers of him at pet stores and vets offices.

6. Contact every local rescue in your area and ask them to COURTESY LIST him on Petfinder.com.

Most rescues will do that for you.  Do not get discouraged.  Sometimes it takes rescues a while to get back to you as they are all volunteers and inundated every day with these requests.  But just think…if MORE people did what you’re doing, perhaps they wouldn’t be and it would be easier to help!  Try asking your local rescues if you can bring him to upcoming adoption events.You should also ask your local rescue for a generic adoption application or find one online to print out and give to potential adopters.  They have a ton of key questions in there that should be answered.

7. Buy him an “ADOPT ME” bandana to keep on him as you walk him around so people who meet him will know he’s up for adoption.

8. Find people who can help you place the dog in a home.

Seek other fosters who are willing and able to help you keep him out of the shelter for as long as it takes to get him a perfect home. And yes… PERFECT. Some people may step up, but it will be on YOU to determine the rest of that dogs life. Not everyone will be a perfect match and what you want to avoid is that person getting tired of him and bringing him back to the shelter after all you’ve done to give him a chance or worse, him getting out again and this time not making it.  So… it’s VITAL to home dogs into perfect homes.

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FOSTERING

What happens if I go out of town and he still doesn’t have a permanent home?

If you’re going out of town and/or you’ve lost your foster and you have nowhere to put him, look into boarding facilities. And yes… they cost per day. SO… what you should have also started the moment you found him and committed to finding him a home, is a fund raising page.

Gofundme is a great fundraising page. You can raise money to help cover all food, vet, and housing costs until he is placed. Then once you’ve found the perfect forever home, you can always ask for a donation to help recoup some of the costs. Be sure to keep all receipts so people know what has been spent and what is being raised.

How do you know what a perfect home is if you’re the one doing the home check and not a rescue?

You’d need to make sure their yard is secure. Their home is dog proofed. Meaning: no poisons, open wires or cleaning supplies laying around that he could get into. Make sure the adopter has enough time to care for the dog financially, physically, and emotionally. They need ALL THREE of those things at ALL times. Suggest grain free affordable foods and give them information about training classes, etc.

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HELPFUL TIPS

  • Always carry an extra leash, collar, and some treats in your car. Having a towel or blanket is a good idea as well in case you need to throw that over the dog to get it into the car.
  • Have an extra crate at home in storage in case of situations like this.
  • Be familiar with the shelters, animal hospitals, and rescues in your area.
  • Remember: raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate are ALL poisonous to dogs.
  • Do not ever hit a dog. Use positive reinforcement and boundaries. Stray dogs are often stressed and scared. Yelling at it or showing anything other than gentleness, patience, and love will never result in good.

IF you absolutely cannot take on the responsibility and you have to take him to a shelter, try to take him to a low kill shelter. But before you do… AT LEAST email and text everyone you know to see if they can take him. For some people, taking on the task of homing a pet just isn’t possible, but you’ll find if you take the time to reach out to others, sometimes people just may surprise you and step up. If they could send the emails themselves but it’s on us to be their voice.

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BALLS ARE GREAT, JUST NOT ON YOUR DOG

We have more control than we think and it’s time to use it. The Stand Up For Pits Foundation strongly advocates doing what you can to create the change you want to see. This is our country, communities, our dogs and we must start doing all we can to protect all of it. We must hold members of our communities responsible. Law makers, neighbors, relatives, strangers… EVERYONE.

If you suspect someone is abusing a dog in any way, DO SOMETHING. If you know your neighbor is back yard breeding, DO SOMETHING. Always try educating first. Provide that person with literature on the facts of spaying and neutering. Let that person know that in six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000 dogs and we needlessly kill 4 million perfect souls a year in America. We CAN end that if we all do our part.

Offer to take their pet in to get fixed. Find them spay neuter vouchers if they don’t know how to get them. EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE!!! The more you know, the more you can teach others. This is SOOOOO simple. Dogs bounce back 24 hours after this procedure and thousands of lives are saved. It is ridiculous that as a first world country, we are in this position and have the ability to end it right in front of us. LETS GO AMERICA!!! WE GOT THIS!!!

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DOG FIGHTERS SUCK

If you suspect people are fighting dogs, CALL 911 and do NOT let up. Keep calling until something is done. If there is a way of approaching the situation and not putting yourself at risk, DO IT. Dog fights happen everywhere… In basements, backyards, on trails, in trunks of cars, in U-hauls, behind grocery stores, in every community, all over this country, every day. This is one of America’s filthy little secrets.

This epidemic didn’t end when a mediocre football player got caught. This barbaric repulsive epidemic is happening more now than ever before. At the core of dog fighting is CRIME. It is illegal in ALL 50 states to even attend a dog fight. The law is there, the problem is there is no one there to enforce it. WE need to take back our communities by helping law enforcement. WE need to call, take photos, report, expose… whatever it takes to stop it.

Where there is dog fighting, there is CRIME. That crime is not just limited to the torture and death of innocent animals. FACT: what is happening to that dog today likely and most often times DOES go on to happen to humans. Sociopathic criminals who force dogs to fight to the death, go on to commit crimes against people. That has been proven over and over again.

Our government doesn’t yet see dog fighting as a direct reflection of a broken society. They don’t see the VERY obvious way to end crime and make communities safer for humans and pets by focusing funds and efforts on stopping this epidemic, so it’s up to US to educate them and do what we can in our power to save our dogs and communities. By doing so, we can create safer and more humane communities for us, our children, and our loved ones.

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PARENTS, LISTEN UP!

Watch Pibs & Kids – Produced & Directed by Rebecca Corry:

It is up to YOU to teach your children to respect animals. Not just Pibbles and dogs, but ALL living things!!! Period. Most dog bite incidents happen because children are left unsupervised and have not been taught how to properly approach or treat a dog. Setting up children and pets for failure is the fault of the parent.

If you are not able to monitor your children with your pet or you yourself do not know how to teach your child how to respect your pet, then you shouldn’t have one. No one wins when someone gets hurt. The dog, the child, or the parent.

EDUCATE yourself on what type and size of dog best fits your lifestyle and family home environment. Do not get a dog cause it’s “cute.” Get a dog that is best suited for your lifestyle, the age of your children, and what will give that pet the best life.

If you are rescuing, make SURE you know how the dog is with children and again, TEACH your children how to respect and approach all animals. Pulling on ears, tails, jumping on backs, poking eyes… is not funny. It’s ignorant.

Is this harsh? Maybe… but children being harmed by any pet because they were never taught to respect pets is also harsh. It can and will be avoided, but it’s up to the adults, not the young and voiceless to learn these boundaries. Educate. Educate. Educate. Nothing more dangerous than an ignorant human.

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