Paige Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 My kids found a dog tonight. They said she ran into our yard. She has tags and is wearing a harness and is obviously a much loved pet. We looked for her owners until it got dark and now it seems that she will be spending the night. It's cold and snowy and I'd feel sorry for her staying outside. She's not a fluffy breed. Her tags only have the county's number and no name or home phone number. I'm sure we can get her home tomorrow with her license number, but everything was closed when we found her. So, she's in a cage in our living room and not happy. She's crying. :( We can't let her out because we have 3 cats and she seems to hate cats. We've taken her for walks, fed her a little dry cat food (it's all we have), and given her water. Is there anything else we can do to help her settle down and make her happy for the night? Our dog passed away this summer, so we had a kennel that she fits into and a leash, but no food left. Every time she sees our cats she goes nuts. She doesn't seem used to being kenneled and it's stressing her out. I gave her a toy and some dog treats we had but she doesn't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Do you have a tiled bathroom or laundry room you can close her in overnight with some old towels and a bowl of water? She will be okay overnight without food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 You can try covering the crate with a sheet or blanket. It may frustrate her more, but there's a chance that not being able to see out will calm her down. There are dogs who freak out in a crate no matter what you do. So I agree with Texasmama about seeing how she does in a bathroom, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Can you put the cats in a room for the night? I'd bet she would be very happy sleeping on the bed... I hope everyone gets some sleep tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Dark room, water, possibly a quiet talk radio. Melatonin is ok for dogs & will relax many dogs & help them sleep. For a 50lb dog I give 3-5 mg. Wrap in cheese or peanut butter & hope she eats it.do you have a craigslist or facebook for your town? If so, post her there. Any private animal rescue orgs? In my city we have huge message boards for all the animal rescue folks to network & someone is always awake & willing to cross post.Also, in our town the police non emerg is who you call after hours for animal control & I've heard if it's quiet, some dog-lovers there will go the extra mile to dig through records etc.if you have any 24h vet clinics in your area, call & let them know about the found dog. People who've lost dogs will often call all the vet clinics in case they were hit by a car & brought in by a samaritan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 You could also try putting the cage in the bedroom with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 I would keep her in the crate if you can't let her loose in a room with people. See what she does in a dark room. could you close the cats out of one of the people rooms and let her free? (I am assuming sh eis housebroken.) I would not lock her in a bathroom. My experience with dogs who don't like to be crated is that they will eat the baseboard off teh wall if you lock them in a small room. Is the crate in the room with you? Dogs will sometimes e quiet in the crate when there is a person beside them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 We locked the cats up in DS's room and let the dog out. She kept banging her head on the side of the crate. She promptly hopped on the couch with DH and has been perfectly fine since. But she's going back in the crate for overnight for sure. Maybe if she's sleepy she'll settle down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Seconding the recommendation for craigslist and Facebook postings. I hope there's a happy reunion tomorrow. You're so sweet for taking care of her. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 You can take her to a vet or animal shelter tomorrow and have her scanned for a microchip. Hopefully, she has one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 We locked the cats up in DS's room and let the dog out. She kept banging her head on the side of the crate. She promptly hopped on the couch with DH and has been perfectly fine since. But she's going back in the crate for overnight for sure. Maybe if she's sleepy she'll settle down. Why do you have to put her back in the crate overnight? Can someone let her sleep in their bedroom with the door closed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 One other thing -- have you called your local police departments to ask if anyone has reported a lost dog? In our area, if animal control is closed, people often call the police non-emergency number. You can also call local emergency vet clinics if there are any near you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 We posted her on facebook, there's no craigslist reasonably close, and the vets we called this morning said the only thing we can do is call animal control when they open at 12. It's a very small town. I ended up sleeping on the couch next to the kennel and she did fine as long as I was there. I didn't want to leave her out of the kennel because I don't know anything about her and don't trust her unsupervised to not pee on the floor, destroy something, or bite if startled. If my DS had let a cat out accidentally on the way to the bathroom, it might not have gone well. I think by the time she goes home she'll be crate trained and know how to sit, lay down, and drop toys. :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 We posted her on facebook, there's no craigslist reasonably close, and the vets we called this morning said the only thing we can do is call animal control when they open at 12. It's a very small town. I ended up sleeping on the couch next to the kennel and she did fine as long as I was there. I didn't want to leave her out of the kennel because I don't know anything about her and don't trust her unsupervised to not pee on the floor, destroy something, or bite if startled. If my DS had let a cat out accidentally on the way to the bathroom, it might not have gone well. I think by the time she goes home she'll be crate trained and know how to sit, lay down, and drop toys. :hurray: I would do that, too, when crate training. I'd sleep on the couch (or floor when I was younger! :lol:) and put my hand in the crate for comfort. You're so sweet to care for the dog! :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 The little doggy is home! My cats are extremely happy to see her gone but the kids are sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Fantastic news! Her people must be so very happy. You're kind souls to have taken such good care of her and worked so hard to get her home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 :party: I'm sure the family was so grateful that you took her in and took such good care of her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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