Found Pets are Not Unwanted Pets
Too many people think found pets are either dumped or abandoned. They are WRONG!
Listen to our podcast interview with Marilyn Litt - Found Pets are Not Unwanted Pets.
In the early 50’s or 60’s, people immediately thought a stray dog was a lost dog. Today, things are different. People immediately think that no one wants this dog any longer. What has caused people to change their mindset to change?
This has caused many problems reuniting lost pets. People that work in lost pet recovery hate to hear abandoned or dumped. It immediately makes people not want to try to find the owner and reunite the pet.
We do know this can happen but it’s not the high percentage of lost pets. The high percentage of found pets are just lost and need help getting home.
So how do we help people change their mindset? What can we do to change their minds?
If someone finds a pet and suggests it was dumped, you can simply say you don’t know. “Maybe an ex did this. Or maybe an evil neighbor did this.” Hopefully, people will relate to this having heard a similar story. They need to open their minds.
What about a cute little purebred that is found? Do you really think someone wouldn’t try to sell it rather than dump it? It’s important that people use their heads, keep an open mind and think logically when you find a pet.
A perfect example is Buddy's story. Buddy was found at a
dog park. The finder immediately thought it was dumped and posted trying to give it away not using an open mind and considering other reasons it could have been left there. Read the story here and understand why we need to keep an open mind.
Sometimes it’s not a bad person doing something bad. Sometimes, it’s a good person trying to help but the appearances seem to be that the dog was left there on purpose. And you know what, it was. The purpose was to keep it safe so it wouldn’t get hit by a car.
Pets can look really bad after a few hours depending on the climate and landscape or after a few days of running on their own. Not all dogs are homeless, they just need help getting home. We need to help them. Ask yourself: "What is this dog’s story. How can I help it get home?" You'll be happy you did.
