ASSESS:

If you have found a stray dog evaluate whether or not you can safely approach. Never put yourself in harms way.

CONTAIN:

A stray animal may be scared and easily frightened, or may appear friendly but be wary of strangers or not friendly to other animals. You should only secure the dog using a leash or inside of a fenced or enclosed area if you feel comfortable doing so, and separate from any other animals or you can contact the shelter immediately for assistance.

CHECK:

Check for any identification, including a collar, ID tag or rabies tag. If there is identifying information contact the owner right away to facilitate a return of the animal as soon as possible. A veterinarian can use the information on the rabies tag to identify the owner.

SCAN:

Some dogs have a microchip implanted that will provide information on the owners.

If there is no identifying information on the dog, you can take the dog to most local veterinarians (and some pet stores) and request a microchip scan. We can also scan the animal at the Brown County Animal Shelter located at 100 Veterans Boulevard in Georgetown, Ohio during our normal operating hours.

NOTIFY:

Unless you are able to immediately return the animal to its owners, please contact the shelter as soon as possible. The owners may be searching for their missing pet and the shelter is one of the first places they will contact. We strongly recommend that you notify us via Facebook Messenger on our Brown County Humane Society Dog Shelter page. Include any identifying information about the animal as well as a photo. A photo will greatly improve our ability to reunite the pet with its owner.

If you are not able to contact us through Facebook Messenger, you can reach the dog shelter at 937-378-3457 or via email at director@bchsohio.org. Please put “found dog” in the subject line and make sure to include a description as well as the date and location the animal was found.

You can also visit us in person at the dog shelter, located at 100 Veterans Boulevard, Georgetown, Ohio 45121.

Depending upon the situation, we can make arrangements for you to hold on to the animal or transportation to the Brown County Dog Shelter.

It is important to notify the shelter of found dogs. Often dogs and cats may end up as strays and yet still have very responsible owners searching for their missing pet. Not everyone is on social media to see posts about found animals and the county shelter is still the primary location where an owner would search.