A stray dog may be someone's lost or abandoned pet, and not used to living on the streets. Stray dogs may feel scared, hungry, injured, or diseased--all of which pose a serious risk to your health and safety (and that of the dog) if you don't know how to catch them properly and humanely. To reduce the risk of injury or illness to both yourself and your dog when you catch one, understand how to properly catch a stray dog and what treatment you should give it afterwards.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Dealing with Stray Dogs
Step 1. Try not to move at all
Stray dogs are usually very easily frightened. Your sudden movements (or even if you approach him normally) can make him feel threatened. As a result, the response to stress--fight or flight becomes active, and it will turn and run away from you. Staying still and not moving will let the dog understand that you are not a threat to him.
- If he approaches when you are still, let him sniff you.
- Do not point your hand at the dog's body for him to sniff. He may actually bite your hand out of fear.
- Resist the urge to pat your dog on the paw to get closer. He might find it a threatening move.
- Even if the dog exhibits aggressive behavior, remember that he is probably more afraid of you than you are of him.
Step 2. Avoid calling him
A stray dog may have been called by other people many times--even by the owner himself--who has tried to catch him since his disappearance. Over time, he may attribute the call to something negative. So if you call him, he might just run away in fright.
- If you're trying to get his attention, consider using a more soothing sound, such as clearing your throat or pretending to sneeze.
- You can also lick your lips or yawn to convey that you are not a threat to him.
Step 3. Don't run
If a stray dog is exhibiting fickle or aggressive behavior and you start to get scared, resist the urge to run. If you run, he will most likely chase you. Also, when you run, you have to have your back to the dog, which can put you in more danger.
If you want to distance yourself from the dog, walk slowly and don't look away from him
Step 4. Contact the veterinary office in your area
If you feel uncomfortable around stray dogs, or don't know the safest way to catch them, contact your local veterinary service, or ask a professional dog catcher for help. Provide as much information as you can about the dog, such as its location (name of a street, or nearby building) and breed. If you can, send a photo of the dog to a veterinary service or professional dog catcher.
- Give your phone number to the recipient, and ask to be sure how long someone will come. Watch the dog until help arrives.
- Put your safety first--don't try to interact with a stray dog that exhibits fickle or aggressive behavior.
Part 2 of 4: Catching Stray Dogs Without Traps
Step 1. Give food as bait
Food is a great choice to keep a stray dog close until you can catch it. Fill empty plastic bags with foods that are attractive to dogs, such as sausages or pizza slices. Where the dog can see it, rattle the plastic bag and drop the food on the ground.
- Pretend like picking up food from above the ground and eating it yourself. Stray dogs will be interested in your behavior and begin to approach.
- To avoid appearing threatening, sit on the ground as you pull your dog closer with food.
- A stray dog's sense of smell may be reduced. So he may not be attracted to food, no matter how strong or delicious it smells.
- If you're driving and happen to see a stray dog on the side of the road, pull over safely, and try to lure it into the car with food.
Step 2. Use a dog catch stick
Dog catch sticks are quite humane tools to catch stray dogs. However, this tool should only be used if your safety is not jeopardized while using it. Before trying to catch a stray dog in this way, have a kennel nearby to accommodate the dog after catching it.
- Keep a blanket in the cage to make it more comfortable. Also prepare some food and water.
- If you can attract your dog with food, allow him to approach you so that the leash on the stick can be wrapped around his neck.
- Immediately take him into the cage after catching him. Release the leash once he is safely in the cage.
- Don't look the dog in the eye when you catch it. Stray dogs will perceive this as a threat.
- If your local pet supply store doesn't sell dog catching sticks, ask the store clerk where to buy them.
Step 3. Contact the animal health department
If you can't afford to take your dog to a shelter yourself, contact your local veterinary service. If you can get your dog into the car with food, contact the veterinary office immediately. Driving with a stray dog without a seat in the back of a car is dangerous.
Part 3 of 4: Using Humane Traps
Step 1. Set up the trap
Traps can be obtained in a variety of shapes, shapes, and sizes. Shops that sell hunting equipment usually also sell animal traps. If you don't want to buy a trap, consider contacting your local animal shelter to find out how to rent or borrow an animal trap.
When asking someone to help you find the trap, provide as much information as possible about the dog. This will help you determine the appropriate size and shape of the trap
Step 2. Place the trap in a good place
Traps should be placed in places frequented by stray dogs. Ideally, this area is in a place that he is comfortable to approach without feeling threatened. In addition, you should also place the trap in a place that is easy to see without entering other people's yards or homes and causing a nuisance.
Place the trap on a firm, flat surface
Step 3. Place the trap
The trap must be able to attract stray dogs closer and in. If your dog doesn't feel comfortable around him, he may approach but not enter. For example, cover the trap with a blanket--which will make the dog feel more secure when entering it. Also put several layers of blankets as a base to make the dog feel more comfortable.
- If you're placing the trap on grass, put a waterproof protective layer on it to prevent water from seeping through and soaking the blanket. A dog catcher can advise on choosing the best protective coating.
- Put delicious food in the trap. Examples of foods that you can include are pizza, sausages, and various other meats (eg boneless chicken, beef, liver).
- Cover the trap lever with a blanket. The trap lever protrudes slightly, so if a stray dog sees it, it won't step on it. With a blanket over it, the dog will step on it unnoticed, so the trap door will close and lock it safely inside.
- Remove objects that can prevent the trap door from closing (such as rocks, leaves, or pine cones) from the trap entrance.
- Place the trap outside when stray dogs are most likely to be around, such as at dusk or early morning, or in the middle of the night.
Step 4. Test the trap
Make sure the trap can close tightly before placing it outside. To test this trap, use your hand to press the trap lever. Or, if you have a dog the size of a stray, ask him to walk into the trap.
If the stray's body is too small to press the trap lever, apply additional weight (such as a rock or brick) next to the lever
Step 5. Check for traps
Check this trap one day after placing it outside. If a stray dog is in it, contact your local veterinarian, animal shelter or animal health service for further action. If you can, take the stray dog (which is still in the trap) to the vet, or animal shelter.
- If the stray dog hasn't been in the trap by the time you check it out, set up another trap at a later time.
- Keep an eye on the trap so that no other animals get into it. If another animal gets in, the stray dog will likely not approach the trap.
Part 4 of 4: Knowing Handling After Catching Stray Dogs
Step 1. Report that you found a dog
In many places, you don't immediately recognize a stray dog as your own. There are several ways you can go about reporting that you have found a stray dog: contacting the animal health department or animal shelter, posting notices of dog discoveries in your neighborhood or in the local newspaper, and uploading photos of dogs on animal rescue sites (eg https:// /www.petfinder.com/).
Step 2. Check the identification mark on the dog
If a stray dog has a collar with an identification tag, find out its name, along with the owner's name and phone number. If you don't see any identification marks, take your dog to the vet, animal shelter, or any other place that can scan its body for a microchip.
- If you can get the owner's phone number, call immediately to let them know the dog was found. You can arrange a place and time for the dog's owner to pick him up.
- Try to return stray dogs to their owners.
Step 3. Consider the limitations of animal shelters
If you can't find a dog owner, but don't want to take care of him or her, putting the dog in an animal shelter may be a logical step. However, places like this have limited funds and staff.
- Animal shelters may not be able to accommodate animals in the long term, and may have a policy to euthanize animals that are not recognized by their owners or not adopted within a certain period of time.
- Look for information on the animal shelters that have the most free space. You may also want to consider putting stray dogs into shelters that don't have a "euthanasia" policy.
Step 4. Consider adopting a stray dog
Adoption is another option if you can't find a stray dog owner. Before declaring the dog yours, there may be a few requirements that you must meet. For example, you may have to wait a certain amount of time--when the dog's owner can still admit it.
- Check with the animal shelter staff to find out how long you should wait.
- If the dog owner doesn't acknowledge him within this time, you can continue the process of legally adopting a stray dog. You can buy a dog collar and identification tag, make sure it's vaccinated, and register for a certificate.
- Consider the costs of adopting a stray dog, especially when it comes to health care. You'll have to cover all of the animal's health costs, so determine if your financial situation can afford it before deciding to adopt.
- If you decide to adopt, provide a comfortable, stress-free environment for the stray dog. It's important to give him love and attention, as well as the time and space to make him feel comfortable with you.
Step 5. Do not feed stray dogs
Stray dogs are usually hungry, so you may be tempted to feed them. Apart from pulling him closer, feeding him is not the right move for several reasons. For example, a stray dog may be used to eating out of trash or hunting for food, so feeding him commercial dog food might cause problems with his digestive tract.
Stray dogs may carry the rabies virus. If it bites when you feed it, you can catch a dangerous rabies infection
Tips
- Don't try to catch a stray dog if you're not sure you can do it. Animal health service officers or professional dog catching services are more experienced in catching stray dogs safely and humanely.
- It is recommended that you take stray dogs directly to an animal shelter.
- Keep in mind that the dog's owner may be looking for him everywhere, and may feel very sad about his loss. So if you find a stray dog, make an effort to return it to its owner.
Warning
- Stray dogs may bite out of fear. Don't try to catch a stray dog that tries to bite you, or exhibits fickle behavior.
- Stray dogs may be injured, have fleas, or carry the rabies virus. All of these conditions make stray dogs quite dangerous to catch.
- Don't lure stray dogs close by with the bones. The bone fragments can injure their digestive tract, so the dog may need to seek medical care for a long time.
