Hey Woofa’s,

Dean and I were on our way to our local shops when we turned the corner and saw this gorgeous dog standing in the middle of the road!!!

I obviously stopped, saw a woman with a pram and another guy walking his two small dogs, and watching what this dog was going to do.

All he seemed to be doing was running around, so we pulled over to the side of the road, and got out.  I said to Dean that we had to get him off the road.

We have a local Facebook page run by amazing volunteers called Campbelltown Lost Found and Injured Pets, I was at least going to try to get a picture of this Husky, to put on the page and see if anyone recognised him.

My main goal however was to keep him from running on the road.  He didn’t appear to be  aggressive in anyway, however he was wary of us and what we were going to do.

We tried getting a lead on him (that I had in the car) but he didn’t want to do that.  So I crouched down, told him we were trying to help and he came right over to me for a pat.

I noticed he didn’t have a collar on him so I called the local pound.   While I was speaking with them, they were asking if they needed to send the Ranger to come get him, this Husky came right up to the passenger door of the car that Dean had open and put his two front paws in.

Dean was patting him, so I opened the back door and he jumped right in.  Such a gorgeous and friendly dog and definitely someones pet.

I didn’t want to take him to the pound because it means his owners will be fined, however I thought it’s best he’s no longer running freely on the road.

While filling out some details at the pound I did mention that if no-one calls for him to let me know.  I also didn’t want to leave him there incase no-one collected him.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A DOG ON THE LOOSE?

Analyse The Situation!

Before trying to help a dog on the loose, make sure you’re not going to be putting yourself in danger first.

Try to read the body language of the dog before you even decide to do anything.  The dog may be scared but still friendly (tail tucked under, ears back and unsure), the dog may be scared and ready to fight (ears back, teeth bared, hair along the back up and ready to pounce)!

Before approaching any situation try to understand what is actually going on with the dog.

If it’s unsafe to approach, try taking a photo or video of the dog and posting it on a Local Facebook Page like the one our community has.  If your community doesn’t have one, you could call your local Vet or Pound and send it to them.

Let them know where the dog is and they can send a professional.

Working with dogs I could read that this Husky wasn’t threatening in anyway, he didn’t go near the mum with the pram nor did he get close to the guy walking the two dogs.

I think he was just happy to be out in the world, but he had no road sense and that was the danger.

Remove The Dog From Danger!

If there is no danger to yourself and you feel comfortable approaching the friendly dog, still do so with utmost caution.  Situations can change in an instant, the idea is to keep everyone safe.

Try to see if the dog has a collar on and if there is a tag with it’s owners details.  Again, only get close if the dog is friendly.

Whatever the danger the dog is in, make sure you can remove it safely while keeping yourself safe.

In our case, if a car came and the dog was on the road, we would walk towards him so he would walk towards the footpath and off the road.  We didn’t have to be near him, it was like herding sheep, you walk towards them and they go the way you want.

Thankfully the road he was on wasn’t an overly busy one, however during school drop off and pick up there are cars everywhere.

I can’t stress enough that there’s no point in putting everyone in danger.   Remove the dog from danger as much as possible and take precautions.

If the dog appears aggressive, stay in your car or out of it’s way, zoom in and take a picture of it from a safe distance and send it to your local Pound so they can send someone out to get it.

Don’t try to be a hero if it’s too dangerous.

Have Your Local Organisation/s Details On Hand!

To save time googling where to report the dog that’s on the loose, have them in your phone contacts already (just in case)!

You could have –

1. Your local Pound or Rescue organisation/s details;
2. The RSPCA’s details;
3. Be a member if your local community has a Rescue Facebook Page;
4. Your Local Veterinary’s details;
5. Basically, any local organisation where you would call if your dog went missing;
6. Take a picture of the dog and post it on your Facebook page in the hopes someone may recognise it as well!

If You’re Walking Your Own Dog/s And See A Dog On The Loose!

Call your local Pound or Organisation and report the dog on the loose.

If you can safely take a picture of the dog, without your dog/s getting upset, then do so and as said above post it on social media.

However, in the instance that your dog/s may be agitated with another dog nearby, walk the other way.

Call the local Pound to report where you saw the dog and where it was, if you can, but there’s no use risking a dog fight.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep everyone safe, you, your dogs and the dog on the loose.

As long as someone knows where the dog is and what it looks like, they can send a professional to retrieve it.

If You See A Dog On The Loose Attacking Another Dog Or Person!

I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep everyone safe.  Call your local Pound ASAP and they will send the Ranger out to deal with it.  If it’s out of hours, try calling the Police, they will either send someone or advise who to call.

However, if there is an attack of some sort going on and you feel you must help then proceed with extreme caution or not at all.

A dog who is attacking is in ‘The Zone’, so if someone walks up to them to try to remove them, they could easily turn around and bite you without intention, they’re in the moment.

If you can find something to help break the dog’s up then again do so with extreme caution.

We have a local guy who walks his dog’s while carrying a long stick, because one of his dog’s has been attacked by a dog on the loose.  The stick is to ward them from coming within a certain distance.

Some people have hosed dogs to get them apart, a high pitched whistle or loud noise, some have punched the dog depending on the size of the head, or hit the dog with objects, others suggest to lift the dog’s back legs off the ground!!!!

HOWEVER, I CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH IF IT’S TOO DANGEROUS A SITUATION CALL AUTHORITIES!!!!  Don’t try to be a hero!

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG KEEPS ESCAPING YOUR YARD?

If your dog is found wandering around the streets and someone is kind enough to take care of them and let you know, then be thankful that they aren’t left to run around on the road.

Yes you will get fined if your dog is taken to the Local Pound, however it’s better than your fur baby squashed on the road!!!

If your dog will keep a collar on, try putting an identification tag on the collar with your details so if someone can get close they can call you instead of the pound.

Also, have a back up person, if your dog gets out and they have the identification tag on, but you’re at work, ask someone you know and trust if you ever need to, if they can be the back up person who can look after your dog until you get home.

Use the situation as a wake up call and ask yourself WHY your dog is escaping the Yard?

• Is your dog bored?
• Did someone leave the gate or door open?
• Is your gate secure enough?
• Where in the yard/house did your dog get out?
• Does my dog need more exercise/attention/play time?
• Is my dog suffering separation anxiety?
• Is someone or something annoying my dog enough for it to escape?
• Were there fireworks, or a thunderstorm or some sort of loud noises?

If it’s not obvious at first dig a little further to find out why your dog escaped and put measures in place so it doesn’t happen again.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

If you’re out and about and see a dog on the loose, analyse the situation and if you can help the dog without putting anyone in danger then do so.

Have your Local Authorities, Pound, Rescue Organisations, Veterinary, Social Media Pages, in your phone so you can contact someone quickly and report the dog on the loose, so if you can’t help (or if it’s too dangerous to help) you can let someone else know and leave it to the professionals.

If your dog is the escapee, do some investigation as to why they escaped and put measures in place so it doesn’t happen again.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HAVE YOU EVER COME ACROSS A DOG ON THE LOOSE, WHAT DID YOU DO?

Cheers