Wild/Stray Dogs
 . I beat myself up for several days for not even trying to save them. What do you do in these situations? If I can actually slow down and pull over I'm afraid I will scare them into oncoming traffic. Or, what if they actually do come to me  ? I know wild dogs are not the same as domesticated, BUT I really think some are just strays. |
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| I used to live in a neighborhood in Chicago that was primarily Mexican and poor.... and there were a lot of strays. At first it was extremely stressful for me and I would be late to work all the time trying to lure dogs in and to chase them while on the phone with Animal Control. Eventually I stopped. I realized that half of these dogs have homes and are allowed to wander during the day, and the other half were nearly feral and wouldn't come near me if I had steak stuffed in my pockets. There's a pack of stray chihuahuas near my friends house... one of them decided he didn't want to be a stray anymore and followed her home  She also has a lot of feral cats in her neighborhood and every once in a while one will decide they'd rather be inside. I guess she just waits and lets them choose what life they would like to live. |
| I remember here a good deeder was killed when she stopped and tried to help a stray away from the highway. Is it worth your life? You are right, a stranger stopping and trying to coax a dog towards them in the chaos of a highway could very well send them into traffic. Even along city streets it is dangerous. I have no answer. Call animal control, they are better trained at getting the animal to safety than we are. |
| I've actually heard several stories of people getting killed from stopping on roads and highways trying to rescue dogs, so I wouldn't advise doing that. Calling animal control would be your best bet I'd imagine. |
HeatherRWM wrote: Eventually I stopped. I realized that half of these dogs have homes and are allowed to wander during the day, and the other half were nearly feral and wouldn't come near me if I had steak stuffed in my pockets. Excellent point! It can be very difficult to know the difference between strays and loose dogs. Aside from the dangers of stopping in a traffic area, you never know if the dog that willingly gets into your car will stress once the door closes - hurting themselves and/or you in the ensuing panic. Animal Control officers have both training and equipment to help them. Give them a call, rather than putting yourself in danger. It's heartbreaking, but the reality is you can't save them all.  |
| As heartbreaking as it is, it is very dangerous to pull over on the interstate to rescue a dog. The best you can do is call Animal Control and let them know where the dogs are. I pull over for loose dogs only when I am on a side street, where it is safer. Rare to have a true stray here, so most loose dogs have played Houdini and escaped their yard. It's so hard to watch the strays loose in traffic, but so very dangerous to intercede. We just had someone in our area killed while trying to help a duck and her babies cross a street. Laurie and Oscar |
| Thanks for the responses. It does make me feel better knowing that I am making the right decision by not pulling over on the interstate. This being said, it still makes me sad. |
| To learn more about stray/feral dogs and those who help them check out this site. http://strayrescue.org/ Check out the rescue stories and I bet there won't be a dry eye in your home. There's also currently stories of highway rescues on their front page if you scroll down to the bottom of the page. Marianne With cats the policy is TRN - trap/neuter and release. They are very difficult to catch but trapped humanely/fixed and then released back to their colonies. The common policy to clip a tip of their ears so as others can know which have been fixed. Kittens can be socialized and adopted but it takes time (I also foster these kinds of kittens ). The trick is to fold them in a towel..kinda like wrapping a baby in a blanket so they don't use their claws. They hiss and spat while you pet them but eventually become used to human hands and after a short time become adoptable. The older ones never loose their fear of humans as they may have also been born to a feral mom. The term is domestic feral. I have several domestic feral bunnies too. With some cats, the older ones are sometimes lucky and placed with a kind hearted person who will keep them in their barn for aprox 2 wks so they become accustomed to the place and then released to live their life as a barn cat. I have two ferals - One eyed Micky and Petunia. Petunia was brought to my home at 6 wks so could be socialized to be with humans and Micky was too ill to put up a fuss when he arrived at my home. They live indoors with their new colony and do come to me for pats learning from my older cats that I was okay...well sorta okay anyhow.  This is Micky's vid which was posted on you tube when he was first rescued by Feral Night Trapper - the woman who was responsible for saving his life. I saw the vid and adopted Micky but at least you know that had a happy ending. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj3uNrRHTiw |
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