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Any thoughts or advice please? UPDATED
I posted a few days ago about a little Dachshund that was running around near my house in busy traffic. I tried (unsuccessfully) to try and get it. However yesterday my husband and I saw a little black dog at the end of our block. It let me get close to it and no collar and hair was EXTREMELY matted. In fact, it could barely walk. We grabbed our little terrier's crate (he doesn't use it anymore) and took it to our nearby vet to see if it was microchipped (it wasn't).
We took it back to our house we're renovating and I spent most of the day trying to cut mats out of the fur. It turned out to be about 1/3 of it's original size and I haven't even gotten to all of the hair removal.
I guess I just would like some feedback on what would be best for it at this point. We can't keep it, but it's a very sweet little dog. It looks to be mostly, if not full, Shih Tzu. Should I hold on to it and try to find a home for it myself, or would it most likely have a better chance of getting to a new home quicker if I just took it to a shelter right away? I feel torn--if I turn it over to a shelter I don't know if will ever find a forever home, but if I try to find a place for it myself, I feel like I just don't have the connections/resources/etc to make it happen.
TIA!
UPDATE:
Thanks for all the great advice! I actually found a home for the little "guy" (it's fur was still so matted that we couldn't tell the gender). I didn't post it on CL, but I did search CL to see if someone listed the dog as lost/stolen. I didn't find any, but I did find a mom that was looking for a smaller dog. I emailed her some of the basics of the dog (found, bad matting, unable to find owners, how it acted around other dogs, cats, kids) and she called me to let me know she was still interested. I was hesitant just handing the dog over, but when we met her (at her house) it was obvious she had a real soft spot for dogs and fell in love with this one right way. She told us that after we told her we would bring the dog over to meet her, she called her friend that does dog grooming for a business to come over and finish removing the rest of the hair we couldn't get to yesterday. I can't 100% guarantee the dog will forever be loved and cared for (only because I won't be the one taking on this responsibility), but I do know that it's no longer on the streets and it's in a home right now and that's better than a shelter.
Re: Any thoughts or advice please? UPDATED
Is there a no-kill shelter in your area, or maybe even a breed-specific rescue? I'd call around and see if anyone has space to take him right now, first of all.
And good for you guys for making sure that little dog is taken care of.
July 3rd, 2012 ~ Hang in there sweetheart, we can't wait to meet you!
5 cats. 1 baby.
Life and Love at #16 | our married life blog
If you do post him missing on Craigslist, don't put up too many details. I'd list a dog as missing and note the area. The person should be able to describe the dog before being able to pick him up. Otherwise, someone may read the description and just decide that they want him. CL can also be a place for folks to pick up free bait dogs for fighting.
This.
I know you're trying to do a good thing but there are a lot of things wrong with this. First, there is always a legal stray hold period so legally you can't give the dog away the same day you found it. Here, it is ten days without tags. Second, I do adopt out on Craigslist but I make EVERYONE pay an adoption fee, submit a contract and follow a 24 hour waiting period. Sure you never have a guarantee but you can increase your odds of success. I work in law enforcement and lots of people love dogs but still do irresponsible things with them because they don't know better or are lazy. I also have a legal return clause in my contracts do if someone doesn't keep the animal, I get it back. I have personally seen horrible things happen to animals who were just given away for free off of Craigslist.
Lots of hoarders have good intentions and seem like nice people. Lots of bunchers (sell animals into medical testing for profit) post ads like you described on Craigslist and do a great job of posing as normal people. You need, at the very least, to find a rescue or shelter's contract, adapt it and have her sign it for you. And if you ever find an animal again you need to find a reputable local rescue to work with. We do not send strays to or local shelter, we legally post them on the shelter's found registry for ten days, keep them, pay for their vetting, screen applicants , charge an adoption fee and ask for yearly updates. We've done seven this way, had one return (we were able to place them again) and are still in touch with everyone so we know they're safe and cared for.
I know your heart is in the right place, but for the good of the dog you need to slow down and do this more carefully next time. Also consider, most responsible dog owners will not adopt a dog who hasn't been seen by a veterinarian. Personally, I know I wouldn't. I have adopted out an unspayed dog once, and that was to someone on this board who I knew does rescue and would follow through.