Please help me, to help a wandering pupper!

[pupper-lover]

This is a new situation for me, so you will have to excuse my cluelessness. I need some advice from all you animal experts out there. I know many of you have rescued animals. I need your help!

There has been a stray dog wandering around my apartment complex. I first noticed it Sunday, and it has been appearing off and on ever since. He is not aggressive, but when I get near him, he runs away. Monday night, my heart broke, when I saw him sleeping under the parked cars in the parking lot. He looked so scared and helpless. I want to help him, but I don't know how, if I can't get near him. The local shelters always seem to be overflowing and refusing to take anymore animals. I couldn't keep him even if he would let me near him. Several of the residents, including me, have been feeding him. I have been setting out water, also, but I think he is just drinking out of the river. I don't want to send him to a shelter, that will immediately kill him, but he can't continue to live without a home. I'm sure he has worms and other ailments and I really want to get him to a vet. Everytime I look into those sweet scared eyes, my heart aches for him. I have tried treats, food, crouching down, talking gently, etc. to the dog. He moves further and further away with each word I speak or step I take. What can I do to help the poor thing?

[C.C.'s Mom]

I don't know, but I hope somebody does. Such a heartbreaking story.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Why don't you try and get a special treat, like chicken or steak. See if he will take it. Perhaps you cab bring on of your pups uout and see if they play? Can you take him/her in untill a good home can be found?

Do you have a dog house or something he could sleep on outside your door if you say he won't come? It seems like he may be scared.

Contact the local shelters and see if anyone has reported him missing. Also contact animal hospitals and rescue organizations for the same reason.

[pupper-lover]

I live in an apartment and do not have a yard/ dog house to lure the dog into.

By the behavior of the dog, I do not think he was ever in a good home. I think someone may have "dropped him off" at the park down the street.

I will make some calls and hopefully find someone who will help. Although having a third dog, would be rough due to lack of finances, space, time, and two existing puppers, right now I just want to get that poor dog to a safe place.

Thanks.

[sujei]

maybe u can contact a dog catcher and have them bring him in for you. it may not be an easy experience but it would be for the better for the poor dog. i also think bringing out one of ur puppies to play is a good idea. who knows. i wish u the best of luck and i hope to dog gets through ok. do u know what breed it is.? good luck

[pupper-lover]

I have contacted several shelters and animal aid organizations today (phone calls, left descriptions, sent e-mails, etc.). His description is now in a database that can be accessed from several different rescue groups. A group called ARF is also sending out e-mails to try to help.

No one has reported him missing at the local shelters, which is not a surprise . I really think he was thrown out by some senseless idiot. It is also possible, he may have just run away from an unhappy home.

Calling someone to catch him has crossed my mind, but the dog comes by off and on. Sometimes, he is there in the evening, sometimes at night. During the day, he must just be hiding in the shade from the 100 degree temps. It is very hard to determine when he will appear. If I knew when he'd be around, he would be a bit easier to catch. Except for the first day I saw him, he has only been wandering about before 7am and after 10pm. I'm not sure if the dogcatcher would come by in the middle of the night.

I'm still crossing my fingers for the little guy.

[mugsy]

I'm with Souraya, try a special treat like chicken or something and see if he will come to you. If you can get him, maybe Mike and I could take him to see if we could find him a home here. God I hate the human race sometimes.

[pupper-lover]

Mugsy, it's amazing of you to offer to drive here to pick up the dog. I have been in contact with some foster groups here. Hopefully, they will be able to save you a long drive.

Last night, Jake and the stray pupper sniffed noses and wagged tails. Then, the dog just turned around and bolted through a hole the fence to the apartment complex next door. Argh! I thought for sure, we were at least headed in the right direction.

This morning, I was on my way to work and I saw him across the street eating trash. I tried to lure him with my breakfast, but once again he took off. Guess he's not a vegetarian.

I went back to my place to get Jake, whom he seemed to like very much. I had just gotten back in the car, armed with chicken I had pulled out of my boyfriend's leftovers, when he ran behind my car. Jake and I got out and followed him. I tried to give him chicken, but he kept spitting it out. Everytime, I spoke he would take off. I followed him around a block of buildings, two or three times. His behavior was more questionable than it had been in the past (jaw twitching w/ tail between legs alternating with tail wagging), so we backed off. His appearance seems to be rapidly deteriorating, including a newly noticable limp. I decided I should call someone to pick him up. I walked to my car, about 50 feet away, keeping him in site. I turned to look up the number, and he was gone. We walked around the building blocks again, but no sign of him. I called the city to come by and try to pick him up, and apparently they had come by earlier in the week and couldn't catch him. They were going to try again, and told me to call at 4:30 to see if they managed to bring him in.

This whole thing is so frustrating. The poor dog needs help. The fact that he'd rather go on suffering than get near a human trying to feed him, really amplifies my concerns for his past treatment. I am so worried for this poor dog. I so dearly want him to have the opportunity, before he dies, to experience the wonderful love that all of us animals lovers here give our animals. Please keep this poor dog in your thoughts and prayers.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

It seems like the poor fella is afraid. Perhaps you should have someone help you capture him. Have you found someone who could adopt him and help him get better?

What kind of dog does he look like?

[pupper-lover]

Yes, he is definately afraid. Frantically petrified would probably be a more fitting term.

I do not have a definate place for him. One of the organizations I talked to only rescues pets on death row. If the city caught him, I really really hope they would go get him. I wouldn't hesitate to pay the $90 fee to the city shelter. I would rather he stay at the Humane Society than the city shelter, but we only have one Humane Society and they have a several month waiting list.

I wish so desperately that I had a fenced in yard. I don't think it would be a challenge at all to get him into a fenced area. A bit of food left out, just inside the gate, and a person to sneak around the corner to shut him in, is all it would take.

I have thought of having someone help me catch the dog, but there are so many places for him to go. I also fear that cornering him, would make him more likely to fear bite. I wish I was more experienced at this.

FYI - I think he is a lab-shepard mix. That's a wild guess. He is all white with medium length short-hair, like a german shepard. His tail iresembles that of a shepard. His ears are partially perky, like a mix between lab and shepard ears. He has a somewhat thin, longish nose. His eyes are very dark in color. I see so much fear and longing when I look into them. It reminds of the look Addie gave me, when I saw her at the shelter. That "I'm scared of you, but please love me" look, just gets way down in me.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

You are right, cornering him is not a good idea at all. He may bite out of fear.

Hmmm... I am trying to think of a way to get this guy. I will let you know if I come up with Anything.

[trisha0503]

Hi Pupper-Lover,

I hope you'll be able to find a way to help this dog. May he soon find a home that could shower him with love that he deseves. SInce I live far from you, the easiest way that I could help is through financial contribution. If you need to pay anything to the Humane Society or any other organization, it will be very helpful if you have some extra money to shoulder any possible expenses that may arise.

You could e-mail me at [email protected]. Tell me where I could I send the check.

I wish you good luck. Bless your kind heart for really taking time to help this poor baby.

God bless,
Rosebel
Miami, FL

[mruffruff]

If you can, set food out at the same place and time every night. If you want to watch, stay back at least 6 feet and sit very still. Even a finger movement can frighten a stray.

If you want to capture the dog quickly, a trap will usually work better. A rescue group might be willing to loan you a trap, maybe with a deposit that you get back when you return the trap. Animal control has them also. They can tell you how to set it. Be sure to use something smelly, like canned fish.

I've used both methods with great success.

Good luck! Let us know how you do.

Mary

[jessililly]

hi,

I think this will take time,
you have to make the baby trust you...
He must be very scared and lonely, and feels like he can´t trust anyone.
Go see him everyday if you can, don´t come to close, and don´t make him scared. Just show him that you are there for him, and want to help.
You will be able to get closer and closer, and one day you might even be alowd to pet him...
only take your dog to see him, if you are sure he will not act aggresive to the puppy.
It can scare him off.
Good luck, and please don´t give up on him.
Once you get him to trust you, you can bring him inside, or to safety, and find him a good home.
I would suggest you to start looking now already.
Let the dog come to you...


Jessica

[pupper-lover]

Don't worry, I am not giving up any time soon. Everytime, I see the poor sweetie, I am reminded as to why I'm spending so much time and energy trying to help him.

I have a cabinet full of tuna, I'll never eat. I will start putting out a little bit at the same time, same place every evening. I can say that a tiny bit of progress has been made. The dog has started to let me see him eat. The first time, he waited until he thought I was gone. I guess he didn't want to let his guard down.

Neither of my dogs is aggressive, but they are a bit overly eager to play. When I have my dogs out with me, the stray often comes out of nowhere, to see us. He seems to really want a doggy friend. I have also seen this stray dog following other people with dogs, so I figure my chances are best if I bring one of mine along.

Just to clear things up, this is a full grown dog, not a puppy. I often use terms like pupper, pup, etc. to describe a dog at any age. They are all babies to me. Sorry, if my terminology was confusing.