[ashleylp]

Today I was taking Remy on our daily morning walk and we encountered a stray dog. It is either a pure bred golden or some type of mix from what I could tell... Its a boy and he is beautiful! I can't have another dog here but he had tags so I wanted to see if I could catch him and call his owner. Ive read a lot of horror stories of dogs attacking on here so I was super careful he seemed curious but did not want to come near Remy. I tied remy to a mailbox and tried to approach the dog alone but no luck. I got about 4 feet from him and he growled so I backed off immediately. I'm sure he is just terrified.. He is skinny and so dirty and his hair is matted and tangled...

I am thinking about going back in my car to see if I could find him and taking some treats. If he is in fact pure bred I'm certain someone misses him... Anyone have any pointers?

 

[Alaska7133]

One of my goldens was a stray. We were easily able to catch him though. No chip, no tags. We took him to animal control. They sent me home with him and said they would call when the owners came looking for him. No owners ever came. So 5 years later he's mine. It was an adjustment. He was used to wandering loose, so we had a bit of a time convincing him to stay in the yard. We did neuter him and that helped.

I'd try to catch him with some really good food. Use and extra leash and see if you can get close. Sounds like he's been wandering for awhile. Probably no owner. Be prepared for an adjustment to other dogs in your house. Are you thinking of keeping him if there doesn't appear to be an owner?

 

[momtoMax]

Purebred or not, if he has tags, someone misses him. I hope you are able to find him when you go and look for him!

 

[ashleylp]

If I can catch him I would LOVE to keep him... but it will have to be a discussion. We live in an apartment and it's definitely not an ideal situation for Remy. He doesn't complain or seem upset about not having a yard but gosh, I'd love to have some room to play fetch without having to drive to the park, etc. etc. We are looking at trying to rent a house/duplex/something with a yard next year!

I'm going to take some hotdogs to see if I can't lure him over. He seemed very timid and scared... my boyfriend is going to go with me. I'll update you later!

 

[Belle's Mom]

Good luck - keep us posted.

 

[Dallas Gold]

Good luck! If you do get him, I hope there are current numbers on the tags. If not, go to a vet and ask them to scan for a microchip. You probably don't want him to get too close to Remy since he's just coming off parvo (I say this for Remy's protection) and you don't know if this dog has a disease or is worm infested that Remy could catch. Ask the vet what the specific ordinances are for found dogs in Austin. They are pretty weird here in Dallas (and no one really follows them, including the Police Dept).

 

[ashleylp]

I just went back and found him and a man was trying to get him. He reached for his collar and the dog snapped and then got up and ran off. He looked very aggressive. I asked the man if the dog is his and he said "yeah, he runs away all the time." I told him I had tried to read his tags earlier and he said "thanks, he'll come back eventually."

Come on people... Take care of your pets! And also, why would the dog snap at his owner like that?? It looked very scared and angry....

 

[OutWest]

If you can't catch or lure him, please call animal control so they can. Don't know what the situation is in your area, but most places are happy to turn a dog over to a breed rescue group if the owner can't be found. It's unlikely he'd be put down and you'd be doing him a big favor by getting him off the street. And if the owner can't be found, you'd be first in line to get him!

 

[OutWest]

I just went back and found him and a man was trying to get him. He reached for his collar and the dog snapped and then got up and ran off. He looked very aggressive. I asked the man if the dog is his and he said "yeah, he runs away all the time." I told him I had tried to read his tags earlier and he said "thanks, he'll come back eventually."

Come on people... Take care of your pets! And also, why would the dog snap at his owner like that?? It looked very scared and angry....

Posted my earlier response as you were posting this...

I suggest you call animal control anyway...If he has to go someplace and pay money to reclaim the dog, he'll think twice about it getting out again, and if the dog is not in good condition, the animal control office will have a chat with him.

 

[Dallas Gold]

Posted my earlier response as you were posting this...

I suggest you call animal control anyway...If he has to go someplace and pay money to reclaim the dog, he'll think twice about it getting out again, and if the dog is not in good condition, the animal control office will have a chat with him.

Plus, if it's a purebred Golden chances are the Austin rescue group (or another one) will take him after the hold period if he's not reclaimed. The owner sounds irresponsible and uncaring. I'd be near crazy if my dog were out loose like that.

 

[bbuzz]

Poor darling. The pup may have some issues, but my first though is that if the golden is snapping at the owner and acting scared and aggressive then the is most likely a good reason for it. Thanks for trying to help him, lets hope he finds a happier life.

 

[ashleylp]

I called animal control and reported the situation but didnt stick around to see if they arrived. I drove by the area later that night and didn't see the dog. I'm going to call and check up today. Hopefully the pup's owner will either learn about the correct ways to treat a dog or will surrender him. He was beautiful... Dirty, but gorgeous. He is so deserving of a great life.