If you found a cute lost dog or puppy, would you keep it?

[RuffLuv]

I have to admit, I think I would keep it, especially if it was a little, tiny dog. Although accidents happen and nobody is perfect, I kind of feel like people should keep an eye on their dog, especially a little dog. I might look around to see if I see any 'lost dog' posters posted, or look online to see if anybody in the area has written anything about a lost dog, but in the long run, I think I might keep it. What about you?

 

[ZITA]

First thing I would do is bring the pup to a vet to be scanned for microchip then as you said look around to see if some one has lost their pup via posters, vet offices etc. All the while putting out there I found a pup... at point when no owners come forward etc at this point I would have to rehome him but if my situation was different....well then finders keepers

 

[SpanielsRule]

I would take the dog to a vet to see if he had a microchip first. Then, I'd look around to see if I found any, "lost dog," posters in the area I found him. There are groups on Facebook where you can post about found pets, so I'd do that, too.

If nobody came forward, I'd have to decide whether I could feasibly keep the dog at that point or try to find him a new home.

 

[Poppy]

It can be awkward to keep a lost pup or dog, then have the authorities trace it and find it at your place. The best thing to do is to try to trace the owner but what is encouraging is that for most dog owners, giving it a temporary shelter is almost always the first instinct.

 

[RuffLuv]

@ZITA @SpanielsRule Yes, you're right, taking the dog to the vet should be the first step. And it might be mine, but I have to admit that if the dog is super tiny, and well-behaved, I'm going to probably keep the dog for a couple of days before I diligently full-on look for a possible owner. However, if the dog shows any sign of distress like it is missing its owner terribly, then I would forgo my two day playtime with the dog and immediately try to locate the owner.
@Poppy I don't exactly know how the authorities would trace a dog, but if they did trace the lost dog to my house, they would certainly see that I'm taking good care of the dog, and I would tell them that I was going to start looking for the owner. I think you're right, most people would think to give the dog temporary shelter, I know that would be my first thought.