So you found a stray dog…
Step 1
Check for a collar or name tag for a phone number or other contact information. Contact the owner directly if the information is available. It is essential to note the location you found the pet. If possible, walk the pet around the neighborhood and search for a potential owner.
If there is no collar or tag with contact information, you can take the dog to any vet or shelter to have them scanned for a microchip. If a chip is found, the vet will be able to provide you with a contact number to notify the owners.
Step 2
If the dog is not microchipped, please take the following steps:
Take them to the local animal shelter in the county. When you turn a stray over to the shelter there is a legal hold period in which the dog is still considered the owner's property. After the hold period expires, the dog becomes available for adoption. When you drop off the dog, you may put your name in as an interested party/first rights. Another option is to get his impound number and network him to friends, family, and rescues to adopt him from the shelter.
Or you can become a shelter-at-home foster. This option allows you to help find the owner while enabling the dog to remain in a home environment and out of the shelter. In this scenario, you must also abide by the legal hold period while you try to find the owner.
Below are some suggested resources to greatly assist in reuniting the lost dog with his/her family:
Complete the Pet Harbor Shelter “Found Pet” form online and include a photo (be sure to use good lighting & feature any distinguishing marks!) https://phshelter.com/
Post the found pet on local lost and found social media pages below. Tip: Do not mention gender or collar details. Remember, the goal is to locate the owner, not rehome the pet. If you are contacted by another person directly claiming to be the owner, ask for proof of ownership before returning the pet. If you aren't sure what to do, contact Metro Animal Care and Control for assistance.
Post a “Found Dog” notice online on the various channels:
www.nextdoor.com - if you aren't already a member, join this site for the neighborhood where the dog was found and post a message to the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods in the lost and found section. (if you didn't find the dog in your own neighborhood, you'll need to find someone from the neighborhood where the dog was found and ask them to post on their Nextdoor account.)
www.pawboost.com - click "report lost pet" then select pet status "found" and complete the rest of the form.
Skippy Lou’s Lost and Found Pets (Facebook)
Nashville, TN - Lost and Found Pets (Facebook)
Tennessee Pets Lost and Found (Facebook)
Lost & Found Neighborhood Groups:
Post physical “Found Dog” flyers around the area where the dog was found.
Step 3
If all necessary steps have been taken to find the owner, the legal stray hold is up, and the dog remains unclaimed and in your care, you can apply to surrender the dog to Wags & Walks.
Please fill out the application below.
Please note: we are very careful to only rescue dogs that are friendly/comfortable/social with people of all ages and other dogs. Please only complete this application if you believe this dog will pass our temperament evaluation. There is no guarantee that Wags & Walks will agree to meet and/or accept this dog.