How to help stray dogs?

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 11 February 2021
Update Date: 26 September 2024
Anonim
10 Important Guide About Rescuing A Stray Dog/Amazing Dogs
Video: 10 Important Guide About Rescuing A Stray Dog/Amazing Dogs

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It is impossible not to be moved by the extremely precarious situation of stray dogs, victims of abandonment or the lack of concrete measures in relation to the overcrowding of the streets. As conscientious people and animal lovers, the first thing that comes to mind is how to help them, free them from their daily suffering and provide them with minimally decent living conditions.

However, it is important that we be conscious and cautious when offering our help, in order to preserve both our physical integrity and that of the animal, which is most likely already weakened. With this in mind, we have prepared this PeritoAnimal article with the aim of sharing some of the facts.Useful tips to help stray dogs in a viable and safe way. Keep reading!


What to do if we find a stray dog?

One of the keys to knowing how to help stray dogs is knowing the actions you can take when you find one. abandoned, lost or injured animal. Of course, the first step is to remove this dog (or other animal) from where it is and from the harmful circumstances in which it is immersed. And it is necessary to act very carefully at this point, as catching a stray animal involves not only knowing how to approach, handle and transport it correctly, but also assume a series of responsibilities in relation to its well-being.

Therefore, not all people will have the ideal conditions to rescue a lost dog by their own means, whether due to lack of resources or infrastructure to perform the rescue and transporting the animal, whether due to the impossibility imposed by the dog itself, which does not facilitate its rescue, that is, it does not allow us to get close enough and we can safely handle it to take it with us.


If you are aware that you have the resources to carry out the rescue, we welcome you to this article! But remember that the stray dog ​​in question can probably get scared, maybe I'm weak or even hurt, so it's perfectly natural that he might be cautious or even take a defensive position in relation to your attempt to approach him.

Therefore, the first thing you should do before approaching is to analyze the posture and the dog behavior that you are trying to rescue. By knowing some basic parameters of canine body language, you will be able to easily notice the signs of fear in dogs and the typical characteristics of a defensive attitude associated with fear aggression. We will explain more below.

How do you know if a dog is scared?

We summarize below the most obvious signs that show us that a dog is scared, which causes them to react negatively because they feel threatened or even to drive away the individual or the stimulus that generates discomfort:


  • are you scared or very scared: hides the tail between the legs, the ears are placed back, licking the lips and maintaining a hunting posture.
  • Shows a defensive attitude: Its fur ruffles, the ends stiffen, it shows its teeth, growls and emits rapid "warning barks" without pauses.
  • Signs of offensive aggression: bristly fur, wrinkled muzzle, tail up, teeth and legs very stiff and rigid. In this case, the bark is generally shorter and louder, clearly expressing that a particular situation causes the dog to be angry, painful or uncomfortable.

If the dog adopts an offensive attitude, in addition to showing some signs of fear, you should reconsider the idea of ​​approaching and contacting trained professionals to perform the rescue (more on how to do this later).

How do I approach a stray dog ​​correctly?

If after evaluating the dog's posture and behavior, you realize that it is possible to get close to him, you should do so calmly and gradually, preferably from the side and not from the front, without making sudden movements or loud noises so as not to scare or frighten him. Remember: you are a stranger to the dog and the dog is a stranger to you, and this is your first date. Therefore, you must give him the opportunity to get to know you and show him your good intentions before demanding that he trust you.

Ideally, you should keep a minimum safety distance, because you won't know exactly how the stray dog ​​will react to your rescue attempt, and try to get him to come to you willingly, which takes time and needs some encouragement to occur.

In this sense, you can use some food to get attention of the dog and create a positive environment, which will encourage him to feel confident approaching you. An excellent technique is to crush the food into smaller pieces and spread it on the floor, making a "path" that leads to you.

If the dog approaches, remember to don't try to touch it (let alone grab it or pick it up) in a coarse manner. It is also important that you avoid looking him directly in the eye, as in dogs' body language this could be interpreted as a "challenge".

Enough squat down a little (keeping some of that safe distance) and extend your hand with an open palm so the dog can sniff you. Talk to him in a calm voice and say positive words to praise his behavior and let him know he is safe with you, such as "very nice", "nice boy" or "well done, buddy".

For more information, we encourage you to read this other article on how to approach an unknown dog?

The dog came to me, what do I do to help him?

When the dog becomes more confident and calm in your presence, take the opportunity to check if he has any dog identification pendant or even a collar. Keep in mind that some dogs end up on the streets after they've moved away from their homes, which means their guardians are very likely looking for them. Generally, stray puppies are in noticeably better condition than stray or stray puppies; you will likely notice that they look well fed and have well-groomed fur.

If the dog has a tag or pendant with the phone number of its guardian(s), you can contact them to let them know of the situation and give them the good news that you found your best friend. But if it doesn't, the next step would be to go to a veterinarian clinic to see if it's a stray dog ​​with an ID chip. This device will contain the basic details of the tutor so both you and the veterinarian can get in touch with the guardians.

If the dog doesn't have a tag, pendant or ID chip, was probably abandoned or has been a stray dog ​​since he was born and has never had a home. Which brings us to the next step.

How to help stray dogs that have been abandoned?

After rescuing a stray dog ​​and confirming that it does not have a guardian or guardian, you may have will to adopt him. This would be an excellent alternative, not only because there are many advantages to adopting a stray dog, but also because animal shelters and refuges are often crowded due to the very high number of animals that are abandoned each year (and the vast majority of them). are dogs). Furthermore, in some cities, it is still allowed to slaughter stray animals that are not adopted within a predetermined period of time.

If you have the possibility, you can take advantage of the consultation with the veterinarian who read the chip to make a general evaluation of the dog's health status. The important thing is to know what treatment or care is needed to restore or preserve your well-being. It is also a good opportunity to start your vaccination and deworming plan, to prevent your health and behavior from being affected by any disease or internal and external parasites.

In the following video, we share the most important considerations about vaccines for puppies and adults:

If you currently do not have the financial resources to pay for all the preventive or curative treatments your dog needs to maintain good health, and they can be very expensive depending on what you need to do, a good option is to search the Internet using browsers and social networks, to find popular veterinary hospitals. In this article we list several more free or affordable veterinarians in different states and in the Federal District.

If this option is not available in your city, you can use these same digital means to contact associations, refuges or independent NGOs near you. This way you can ask for help and receive advice about the most affordable alternatives to provide proper care for the rescued stray dog ​​you wish to adopt.

And to talk about the essential care of a dog, here at PeritoAnimal you will find many useful contents for care, educate and train your new best friend in the best way. Be sure to check out this 10-step guide to caring for a dog.

How can I help a stray dog ​​if I can't adopt him?

Unfortunately, we don't always have the time, space and financial resources to keep a dog, especially if we already share our home with other animals and are responsible for their welfare. So, eventually, helping stray dogs will mean temporarily giving them the support they need to find the best tutor possible.

It is important to highlight that abandoning or mistreating animals is a crime, according to Federal Law No. 9,605 of 1998. Whoever commits this action can be fined and face up to five years in prison. Also according to Brazilian animal protection legislation, the penalty can be increased from one-sixth to one-third if the animal is killed.

Is feeding stray dogs a crime?

No. It is not a crime to feed stray dogs. There was a lot of controversy about the subject, especially in the year 2020 in Santa Catarina, as the government had, in fact, prohibited this action. However, as early as 2021, a new law was passed allowing the care of stray animals, including their feeding.

Anyway, the Zoonoses Control Centers do not recommend that we feed stray animals and reinforce: if you cannot adopt them, call the responsible authorities, as we will indicate in the following section.

You can also take the initiative to find a protective association or an independent protector who will work hard to find one. new home to the rescued dog. Once again, digital media can be your great ally in this quest.

If you also can't count on the help of independent shelters, shelters or protectors, the last alternative would be to find yourself a new home and guardian for the rescued dog. And we say "last", because this implies take a big responsibility, which must be done by properly trained institutions and people with the right tools to ensure responsible adoption.

But if you have to take responsibility for this task, remember to be very aware at the time of giving the dog up for adoption, trying to find out if the person requesting it really has the resources and means to raise it in decent conditions.

Avoid making the "donation" of the dog in festive moments, such as the Christmas or Children's Day, as many people continue to wrongly offer animals as gifts, and many of them end up abandoned again on the streets...

We would like to encourage you to read this article about volunteer work with animals.

What can I do if I cannot rescue a stray dog?

As we've said, rescuing a stray dog, lost or an injured animal is not always within everyone's reach. And eventually, due to fear or pain, the dog itself does not show a favorable attitude towards approaching strangers, so that its rescue becomes impossible for a person who is not properly trained for this function.

That doesn't mean we can't do anything and let the animal continue in these poor conditions, as we can resort to professionals trained in this type of rescue.

At this point, the first thing is to make a very important clarification: if you find a stray dog ​​and you can't approach or rescue it, it is not advisable to call directly for animal protection associations, a rescue center or other NGO dedicated to the protection of animals. In addition to the fact that these organizations and their professionals (many of them volunteers) are often overburdened, it should be noted that the shelter where the dog will be delivered is usually determined by where it was found.

Thus, the best way to act when you find a stray dog ​​that you cannot rescue is to contact the competent authorities in this matter, such as the control of zoonoses in your state. You can look for police stations or, in the case of other animals, you can also contact Ibama, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. Ibama's contacts are on the talk to Ibama page.

Some options for making reports of abuse, at the national level, are:

  • Complaint Dial:181
  • IBAMA (in the case of wild animals) - Green Line: 0800 61 8080 // www.ibama.gov.br/denuncias
  • Military Police: 190
  • Federal Public Ministry: http://www.mpf.mp.br/servicos/sac
  • Safer Net (to denounce cruelty or apology for mistreatment on the internet): www.safernet.org.br

When you make your call, remember to stay calm and explain the situation as clearly and objectively as possible and give as much detail as possible about where the rescue should take place.

Other ways to help stray dogs

In addition to rescue and adoption, there are other ways to help stray dogs and you can put many of them into practice in your daily life, with just a little of your time.

Reinforce the importance of avoiding the overpopulation of stray dogs

The first and most important thing you can do is to help increase the conscience on the importance of spaying and neutering methods in controlling the overpopulation of stray dogs.

In addition to taking appropriate measures to prevent your animals from generating unplanned litters, you can chat with your friends, family and acquaintances, as well as use social media and other digital channels to share relevant content about this subject. In 2020, the government of the Netherlands announced that there are no more stray dogs in the country. This was achieved through a series of actions taken by the country in recent years and which, fortunately, have yielded excellent results.[1]

You can also use these same strategies to promote dog adoption abandoned people in kennels or shelters, and raising awareness that the sale and purchase of "pets", in addition to reinforcing the idea that animals can be treated as merchandise, encourages exploration practices, especially of females used as simple breeders, and many of the animals used to breed puppies or offspring that will later be offered in stores and over the Internet are kept in unsanitary conditions, suffer from nutritional deficits and are often victims of violence.

Participate as a volunteer or volunteer in NGOs and associations for animal protection

Well, if you can spare a little of your time to volunteer at a shelter, this would be a wonderful way to help stray dogs and many animals that are waiting for a new chance. in a new home.

You don't need to have specific knowledge about training, education or veterinary care as there are different simple tasks you can do to help these rescued stray animals feel a little better, such as spending time in the area of ​​hygiene and fur care. , or simply offer your company.

We encourage you to find the shelter closest to your home and talk to those responsible to find out how you can help them with their volunteer work.

Report cases of animal abuse and mistreatment

Mistreatment, abandonment and physical, emotional or sexual abuse of pets are already considered crimes in most countries and in Brazil it is no different. There are fines and the possibility of serving a prison sentence for those who harm animals. Although, unfortunately, few convictions become effective and the penalties are still very "soft" compared to the damage to animals, it is essential that we continue to report cases of abuse and neglect that we witness. Reporting is necessary so that the dog (or other animal) can be rescued from the circumstances of mistreatment, abuse or neglect, and have access to minimum animal welfare conditions.

Many countries already offer citizens toll-free hotlines to report animal abuse and mistreatment, where anonymous reporting can be made. Likewise, the most advisable will continue to be to file the complaint in person, going to the police stations with as much information as we can provide about the abused animal and its abuser, as well as evidence to prove the mistreatment (photos, videos and/or testimonies from other people).

In this article dedicated exclusively to the mistreatment of animals, we tell everyone about the types of abuse, its causes and the different alternatives to report and fight all kinds of ill-treatment against our best friends.

Finally, remember that these are small daily actions which, done with dedication and persistence, day after day, year after year, allow us to promote great changes in our society. Your voice is important and your participation makes a big difference. We are with you on this honorable mission to protect, care for and help animals.

We take the opportunity to leave a video in which we explain why you should adopt a stray dog:

If you want to read more articles similar to How to help stray dogs?, we recommend that you enter our What You Need to Know section.