Should Have . . .

[Valarie]

I wish I had handled this situation differently but here I am regretting that I didn't.  I was traveling back from a visit with my parents this morning, just Sophie and me.  Preparing to get onto interstate 75, I saw a very thin dog crossing the road in an area with gas stations and restaurants.  I saw her go into a vacant lot.  Pulled into McDonalds and bought a couple sausage biscuits.  Went back and she was still there.  She was pitiful - so thin and with some type of skin problem.  She has a piece of rope around her neck which she had broken or chewed loose.  She was very skiddish but wagged her tail and tentatively took the food.  So I'm trying to figure out what to do.  I called my parents and got phone numbers for the local authorities.  No one answered at the animal shelter,  theman who answered at the local animal rescue place said that they had stopped rescuing some time ago, the police would not assist me either. So I'm trying to figure out what to do - I hatched a plan to ask my sister in law if I can borrow her fenced back yard for tonight so I can keep her safe without exposing Sophie until I get her to my vet.   I decide to try to load her up.  My parents are almost 80 so I really didnt want them chasing a stray dog on the side of the road.  I'm on my own.   I have Sophie in the back seat of the truck and it is warming up so I am worried about her.  I can't put the little stray in the back seat with her for obvious reasons.  I have a topper on the bed of the truck and I'm worried it will not be safe for her in there but that seems my only option.  So I'm trying to think of how I can get her into the bed of the truck without hurting her or getting bit.  She seemed docile but very skiddish.  Once she ate the food she would not let me get too close.  The more I tried the further back into the bushes and trees she retreated. Until finally I could not see her anymore.   I tried for 20 minutes or so but here's where I made a big mistake . . . I gave up.  I was worried about Sophie in the truck and my husband who I cannot reach and I got back in the truck and left.  I'm upset and crying for twenty miles when I just have to turn around and head back.  My Mom calls to see if I am okay and I tell her I'm coming back to look for the dog.  She and my father insist on meeting me at the gas station and we look for the dog for 30 minutes.  She is no where to be found.  I spoke with the attendant at the gas station and she said that she would put out some food and water for her and call the shelter tomorrow (Monday) morning.  I am heart broken.  I so wish I had not left her . . .

I am home now, two hours away, and I am distraught thinking about what I could have/ should have done. . .I am praying that someone else will be there for her.. 

I won't be offended if anyone would like to offer advice about how I or anyone could handle this situation differently .  I want to be prepared for a better outcome if this happens again.

Thanks for listening. 

 

Update 9/19/11 - Called Shell - They have not seen her again but are watching.  Left voicemail and sent email alerting the local Humane society.  Asked them to notify me if she was found and offered to help pay for vet/care expenses. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I applaud you for doing what you did and trying everything that you knew how.  I too will be watching  the responses because this is something I've often thought about.  I worry about rabies, and  also exposing Lucy and Sophie .......

[Ellen, Brûlée, and Tira]

You did everything you could in those circumstances!  Good job, Valarie!   You helped get some food in her tummy. You were there to give her the help you could. Maybe you even redirected her path to keep her from being hit on the interstate. Who knows how you may have helped her...We can't do everything, sometimes we have to be ok with just doing a part of what is needed. Hopefully, someone else was able to further help her after you left.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I found this on the Humane Society site. It's kind of long but has good info:

 

What to Do if You Find a Stray Pet

The Humane Society of the United States

You're driving your car when you see a dog on the side of the road. With a sinking feeling, you realize he's alone. What should you do?

How to help

This is a wrenching scenario for all who care about animals. Once you've seen the dog (or cat or even rabbit), many feel it's too late to drive away from him or her. After all, what if your own pet were standing there? So, before you pull over, use these guidelines for assisting animals safely and effectively.

Safety first

You cannot help an animal if you become injured in the process. Look in your rear-view mirror before braking, signal your intentions, pull your car completely off the road, turn off the ignition, set the parking brake and put on hazard lights. If you have emergency flares, prepare to use them.

Consider the safety of the animal. A strange, frightened and possibly sick or injured animal can behave unpredictably. A sudden move on your part, even opening your car door, can spook him and cause him to bolt—possibly right onto the highway. If the animal looks or acts threatening, or, if for any reason, you feel uneasy about the situation, stay in your car.

If possible, restrain the animal. Create a barrier or use a carrier, leash, piece of cloth or length of rope to keep the animal from leaving the area. Signal approaching vehicles to slow down if you cannot confine the animal, or divert traffic around him if he appears to be injured and is still on the roadway.

Use caution

Use caution when approaching the animal. Should you succeed in getting close enough to capture him, you stand a good chance of being scratched or bitten.

When approaching the animal, speak calmly to reassure him. Make sure he can see you at all times as you approach, and perhaps entice him to come to you by offering a strong-smelling food such as canned tuna or dried liver.

Lure him in

Try to lure an animal into your car with food, close the door, and wait for help. Only do this if you are certain someone will come to get the animal very soon. In most cases it is not a good idea to attempt to drive somewhere with a strange dog unrestrained in your car; he may become frantic or aggressive once you're in the car with him. Cats may do the same, as well as lodge themselves under the car seat, from which extracting them can be dangerous.

Call for backup

If you're not able to safely restrain the animal, call the local police or animal control agency. Do so whether or not the animal is injured, and whether or not he is wearing an identification tag. Call the local animal care and control agency (in rural areas, call the police or sheriff) and report the situation. Leave your phone number with the dispatcher and try to get an estimate of how long it may take someone to respond. If possible, stay on the scene to keep an eye on the dog or cat until help arrives. Make sure you report to authorities precisely where the animal is by using road names, mile markers or landmarks.

Take him to safety

If you are able to transport the animal, take him to the nearest animal shelter. If you plan to keep the animal in the event no owner is found, notify animal control that you have the animal or that you have taken him to a veterinary hospital for treatment. You can usually place a free "found" ad in your local newspaper. Keep a copy of the ID to prove your good intentions should any question arise later.

Be ready

If you know in your heart that you're a rescuer, why not equip yourself to do the best possible job? Here are some things to have in your car at all times:

• Phone; phone numbers of local animal control, a shelter, and a 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic
• Cat carrier or cardboard box
• Collars and strong leashes for dogs
• Heavy blanket; water bowls and water
• Strong-smelling foods, such as canned tuna or dried liver
• An animal first-aid kit.

Check the laws

To check on any relevant laws in your state, county or town, contact your local animal control agency, humane society or SPCA. Many times the animal you find along the highway will turn out to be un-owned, unwanted and unclaimed. Even so, the person finding the stray dog or cat does not automatically become the owner or keeper until he has satisfied certain state and/or local requirements.

In almost every state, the animal is not "owned" by the finder until the holding period for strays (as specified by state or local laws) has expired and the finder has made an attempt to reunite the animal with his original owner and/or has taken steps—obtaining vaccinations, license, collar and identification tag—to prove he is now the owner.

Accidents happen

Good Samaritans who have never lost a cherished companion animal may conclude that the owner of the found dog or cat callously abandoned him or, at the very least, neglected to keep him safely confined at home. But accidents can happen to anyone. The frantic owner could be looking everywhere for their beloved pet.

Understand the limitations of animal care and control agencies. Once you have taken the initiative, time and trouble to rescue a dog or cat along the highway, you might be surprised to find that the rest of the pet care community might not necessarily rush forward to do what you see as its part. For instance, you can take a badly injured stray dog to animal control and find out that the agency is unable to provide expensive surgery to treat the dog's injuries. In those cases, shelters euthanize the animals to relieve them from their suffering. A cat with relatively minor injuries can be kept for only the mandated stray holding period and then be euthanized. Virtually all animal control facilities have severe budgetary or space limitations and must make painful decisions about how best to allocate their inadequate resources.

Before you take an injured animal to a private veterinary hospital for treatment, be willing to assume financial responsibility for the animal before treatment begins. Good care is not cheap, and many veterinarians have many Samaritans in their waiting rooms every year. Anyone who is committed to trying to save injured stray animals should discuss these issues in advance with the veterinarian. Fortunately, some states have laws that allow the veterinarian to collect from a fund for treating unowned injured animals who have been presented to them by animal control or a good Samaritan.

If you're uncertain about whether or not to help or keep an animal you see alongside the road, here's a final word of advice: First, think of what you would want the finder of your animal to do if he happened to find him injured without his collar.

You'd want him to take your pet to a veterinarian, and you'd want him to try to find you. At the same time, be reasonable about how much you can afford to do for that animal if no owner shows up.

Are you willing to add him to your household? And will you be willing to return him to his original home if the owner turns up after you've started to form an attachment?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

The article doesn't address the issue of what to do if you already have your own animal in the car as was  your case. But it is right to be concerned about aggression and disease exposure to your own animal.  I think you did great with the tools and support system you had available to you at the time.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Valarie, you really did do all you could. I know from the experiences the DRC has had with dogs who bolted after being picked up for rescue that it is almost impossible to catch or lure a dog who is afraid, unless you have a humane trap. With Lucy down in GA, (now Lacey, adopted by Nina Whitefield), I think she was on the loose for a couple of weeks before she was finally lured into a trap, despite the best efforts of experienced rescue people who had actually had previous contact with her. For all you know, this stray dog had never been inside any vehicle or even a building, nor had any contact with humans.

It is also almost certain that you would have been exposing Sophie to something contagious if you had gotten her into the truck.

Please don't feel bad about this. You did as much as could be done for that poor dog.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Exactly.

[shelly]

I think you absolutely did ALL you could AND MORE!  Sophie's safety  first.  IMO I think you could have possibly saved her life, as she retreated back into the woods.  Perhaps she would have gone into the street and gotten hit.  I know you did more htan I would have been brave enough to do! You were awesome!  

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

You did all you could. And in the end, when it comes down to it, yours and Sophies safety has to come first.

[Leslie and Halas]

You did all you could.  Your safety and your own dog's safety have to come first.  At least you tried.  Hopefully another kind soul will see her and try again to help her.

[Susan and Sasha]

Valarie...

I agree with the others...

You did everything that you could possibly do to help this poor dog.

You are kind and loving...and helped the dog as much as you could while still protecting your Sophie.

Why don't you check with the gas station attendant to see if the dog came back...and what happened when she calls the shelter.

The dog just might stay close by...knowing there was food near...and they can get help for it.

A happy ending can still happen...

 

[Valarie]

Thanks for all your responses.  I knew everyone here would understand my angst.  I am praying for a happy ending.   I will call the gas station and the local animal shelter tomorrow. 

[Donna K & Quincy]

Valarie, you did the best you could, which is more than most people do. I really hope that for your peace of mind this poor little dog is rescued.