Finding a Good Home for a Stray Dog

This article is about my experience of finding a stray dog, looking for his owners and ultimately placing him in a good home. It was about six months ago that I was out for a walk and came upon a stray dog, that I would later name Georgie. He was obviously starving, somewhat frightened and it looked like his nails were growing into his pads.

I petted him and told him that he was a good boy. I knew I could not keep him, but I just had to help him. So I ran home and grabbed some food, water and a bowl. To my relief, he was still in the same area when I returned and happily gobbled up all the food that I had brought back. He was just as happy to get the water as well, and looked up at me adoringly with big brown puppy dog eyes. As your probably guessing by now, I took him home with me. This really wasn't a good time for me to take in a stray dog, but sometimes you have to do what is right, even though it may not be convenient.

In the area where I live the city pound has a really bad reputation. I recall reading in the paper that one of the employees at the pound was disciplined for beating a dog to death. I have been there before and the employees seem to hate both animals and people, and all the animals there seem to be terrified. So, there is no way that I would surrender any animal to the pound in my area under any circumstance.

First, I took him to the veterinarian to get his nails fixed, vaccines and to check for a microchip. Then I began an unfruitful search for the owner for about two weeks. I put up signs everywhere and talked to people that lived in the area he was found. I even put up a sign about him at the pound. Another resource I found is Pet Finder, they will let you list dogs that you find on their site.

After about 2 weeks of this, I realized I needed to start trying to find Georgie a home. By this time I was already getting very attached to Georgie and was determined to find him an excellent home. I actually created a list of questions to ask my prospects, to ensure that he would not ever end up being a stray again. One person planned to make him an outdoor dog only. Another person really wanted Georgie but her spouse was not as enthusiastic about it. Both of these people were denied, because Georgie deserves a better life.

After having Georgie for two months, I finally found him the perfect home. In this home, the whole family wanted him and they were all very excited to adopt him. They plan to keep him inside mostly except for his walks. The only other pet they had was a cat, and someone is always home 24 hours. They also agreed to never surrender him to the pound, but to return him to me if it doesn't work out. When looking for a new home for a dog, it is important to ask a lot of questions and make certain that he will be in good hands.

Months have passed, and I have checked on Georgie several times. He gets an endless amount of attention in his new home, and has become rather fat and sassy. I am happy because they understand how special Georgie is, and plan to provide a good home for him for the rest of his life.