How to Help a Stray Dog

Stray dog overpopulation is a sad reality affecting us globally, one that not only condemns thousands of animals to survive in extremely precarious conditions, but also poses a serious public health risk.

Growing awareness of how serious these problems are means more and more citizens are committing to responsible pet ownership, and more people are asking how to help a stray dog. If you're one of them, we're glad to say you've come to the right place, since below we tell you how to act to help stray dogs. Keep reading!

I Found a Stray Dog. What Should I Do?

Naturally, when we come across a stray dog, the first thing that crosses our mind is to immediately get it out of the unsanitary conditions it's exposed to daily. That said, this first step needs to be taken carefully and thoughtfully, since the dog (or animal) in question won't always be receptive to our attempt at contact.

Keep in mind many animals living on the streets have been victims of violence and abandonment, so they may act scared, nervous, defensive, or even take on an offensive posture to try to defend themselves from what they perceive as a possible threat to their safety. Because of this, before trying to pick it up, you should pay close attention to its behavior to spot any sign of fear, defensiveness, or offensive aggression.

To help a stray dog, you also need to consider whether you have what's needed to pick it up and transport it safely. At minimum, you should have some kind of appropriately sized carrier and the ability to travel with the rescued animal, whether in your own vehicle, someone else's, or public transportation.

How to Know If It's Safe to Approach a Stray Dog

Before approaching the dog you're trying to rescue, pay attention to the following signs to assess its behavior:

• Fearful behavior: when a dog is scared or very afraid, it'll likely tuck its tail between its legs and pull its ears back. A hunched posture and some calming signals, like lip licking or yawning, are also common.
• Defensive posture: in this case, the dog usually has stiff limbs and raised fur, along with "warning signals," like baring its teeth, growling, or barking rapidly and constantly (with no pauses).
• Offensive, aggressive attitude: here, we'll see a dog preparing to attack, with warning signs becoming even clearer. Its limbs will be much stiffer and tenser, its fur raised, its snout wrinkled, and its barking will sound louder and shorter.

If you notice signs of defensive or aggressive behavior, it's best to stop trying to approach and contact trained professionals to carry out the rescue. At this point, it's recommended to directly contact animal shelters, rescues, or animal protection NGOs to request the rescue of a stray dog.

On another note, if you find a stray dog and can't rescue it yourself, also contact the relevant authorities in your country or region. Below, we show you contact numbers you can report to:

Contact Numbers in Spain

• Emergency: 112.
• Guardia Civil: 062.
• Local Police: 092.

Contact Numbers in Mexico

• Animal Brigade (helps with rescue): 5722-8821
• Animal Watch Brigade: 5208-9898
• Cruelty reports: 5687-2877 and 5543-6231
• Adoption and rescue center: 5877-3744
• Animal rescue: 04455-1392-4059 and 04455-4171-3393

Contact Numbers in the United States (USA)

• Local animal control/city services: 311
• Emergency: 911

Contact Numbers in Argentina

• Public Prosecutor's Office: 0800-333-47225

Of course, these contact numbers may vary if you live somewhere else. And in case you don't know which authority to call to request the rescue of a stray or abandoned animal, try contacting the Guardia Civil, local police, or your country's emergency number.

How to Safely Approach a Stray Dog

If you decide it's safe to approach the stray dog, remember to always do it slowly and from the side (not head-on), without looking it directly in the eyes, and avoiding sudden movements or loud noises. Keep a calm demeanor, and under no circumstances try to touch, grab, or pick it up abruptly.

The right approach is to keep a minimum safety distance and try to get the dog to approach you on its own. To achieve this, you can crouch down a bit, extend your hand with some food to draw it in, and encourage it to feel confident enough to approach. You can also convey calm and affection with positive words, like "good boy" or "well done."

The Dog Approached — Now What?

Once you've managed to make contact with the stray dog, you can take the chance to check whether it has an ID tag on its collar. Don't forget it's possible the dog got lost from its home, and its owners could be looking for it. If you find a tag, the next step, of course, is to contact its owners and let them know their furry friend has been found.

That said, if you don't find any visible contact information, what you should do to help a stray dog is take it to a vet clinic to check whether it has an identification microchip containing its owner's basic information.

And if neither identification method turns up anything, it's most likely a dog born on the streets or a victim of abandonment, which brings us to the next stage of the rescue process: the possibility of adoption.

Tips for Helping Stray Dogs Who Are Victims of Abandonment

After confirming the rescued dog has no home, you'll likely feel a genuine desire to adopt it. But in this case, you should also consider whether you have what's needed to provide proper care, which includes not just balanced nutrition, veterinary care, vaccines, and regular deworming, but also enough space and time to give it a good quality of life.

If, after assessing your lifestyle, you feel you're in a position to adopt the dog you rescued, congratulations! You've already begun a special bond from the moment you decided to get involved and rescue it. The next step will be a general health assessment of your furry friend, something you can request from the same vet who scanned the microchip, or a trusted professional. This will be the perfect time to run the necessary tests to diagnose any nutritional deficiency or health issue, as well as to start or update its vaccination schedule and treatments against internal and external parasites.

If you don't have the resources to cover these treatments (which can be very expensive in several countries), you have two good alternatives. The first is searching online for popular vet clinics or hospitals in your region offering these services at more affordable prices. The second is contacting nearby shelters or animal rescues for guidance on the most accessible options for providing the care the rescued dog needs.

How to Help a Stray Dog If I Can't Adopt It?

On another note, if you feel you're not in a position to adopt the rescued dog but still want to keep helping it, you can offer temporary support to make a responsible adoption possible.

If you live in Spain, for example, you should know that, according to Article 17 of the Animal Protection and Welfare Code, shelter organizations and city councils are responsible for collecting and rehoming lost or abandoned dogs, so these institutions are required to provide veterinary care and a 24-hour collection service.

This means you can turn to these authorities to request the rescue of a stray dog, ensure it receives the veterinary care it needs, and then give it the chance to be adopted by a responsible owner.

But if you can't count on these authorities acting in your country, it's best to contact a shelter organization, an animal rescue, or even independent rescuers who seriously dedicate themselves to rescuing, rehabilitating, and enabling responsible adoption of abandoned dogs.

And as a last resort, if you can't get support from any professional, you can try to find a new home for the dog you rescued yourself. Just remember to do it responsibly, and avoid finalizing the adoption during periods when animals are often given as "gifts," like during the year-end holidays or around Children's Day.