Abandoned B&W Pointer at Dog Park?

[Julie L]

I was at the Franklin Miles dog park today from 10:30-12 and there was a black and white male (neutered?) Pointer with no collar wandering around seemingly desperate to find his owner. I tried catching him, tempting him with chicken strips with no luck. He was hanging out at the top of the hill, then the parking lot, then hiding in the sagebrush on the edge of the parking lot. Hopefully the owner has returned to the park and picked him up by now, but if you see him wandering around this afternoon or tomorrow perhaps the best thing to do is call animal control. He seems very sweet and would have a great chance of finding a new home through the Shelter.

[Ben Swan]

Good numbers to have, thanks for posting them Bill. I've had them in several stories but maybe I should create a separate file so people can see those numbers. I do have animal control's link to the side on favorite links.

[CindyR]

Thank you, Thank you. I now have the numbers in my cell phone too. Seems I'm always running across a lost or stray dog. :-(

[Claudia Inoue]

Okay, everyone, put these numbers in your call phone!!! Cindy, that includes YOU :)
Cindy called me at home a few weeks ago after she had risked life and limb to rescue a dog running around on Cerrillos Road dodging traffic!!! That's our Cindy for ya!!!! I then called Animal Control and they were expecting her with the dog when she got there. Last I heard the dog's owners claimed the animal.

[Bill Hutchison]

Yes, a very good idea, Claudia!

Also a chance to explain, for those who don't know -- the SFAS&HS is NOT animal control. We're a private non-profit who contracts with the city and the county to care for the animals their officers pick up. We don't have pick-up capabilities.

But they do! And depending on whether you see the dog or cat running loose in the city or the county, use the following numbers to report it:

In the city limits, Animal Services is at 955-2701. On weekends and holidays, call SFPD dispatch at 955-2700.
In the county, Animal Control is at 992-1626. On weekends and holidays, call Sheriff's dispatch at 428-3720.

Thanks for the thought, Claudia!

[Claudia Inoue]

Actually, Bill, would you PLEASE post the BEST number to call if one spots an amimal running around, like on a busy road like Cindy did a couple of weeks ago?

[Claudia Inoue]

Thanks for the great work, Bill! I definitely agree with Cindy also, never assume "someone else has already or will call"...better 3 calls than none. I have the shelter/animal control programmed in my cell phone!

[Bill Hutchison]

Just talked to Felice at our receiving desk. She went through all the lost reports, and no sign on our end of a missing pointer yet. We'll keep our eyes open!

[Bill Hutchison]

I'll check this out at the shelter today -- I'll ask our folks to compare the picture (thanks, Julie!) to the lost reports we have on file. Lost pets so often come to the shelter, either in person, or on a report filed by their owner, Calling us is always a good idea. Many thanks for the tip, Cindy. I'll update here with what I find.

[Julie L]

Good point. I heard a woman ask another woman if it was her dog when I first got there, so I think a few people were wondering what was going on with that dog but assumed the owner was somewhere nearby. I did call the Shelter around noon and left a voicemail (I think they're closed today) about the dog. I won't get back to the dog park until next weekend, so I hope if any of you notice that dog is still wandering around you will call the Shelter. Hopefully by now he's back with his owner.

[CindyR]

If this ever happens to you, PLEASE call the shelter. I was at the dog park one day a few months ago when the same situation arose. A very obviously lost dog, and everyone was talking about it. Well, NO-ONE had called the shelter. When I called, they were ecstatic, explaining that the owner had been looking for that dog for 2-3 days. In this case, apparently a happy ending. But case in point: PLEASE DON'T ASSUME that someone else has called and reported the lost dog.
It is heartbreaking to see a dog in an overly-anxious state looking for their people.