Puppies are most often chosen by their owner out of litter. In other words, one day you wake up and decide it’s time to get a puppy so you start looking for one through the paper or your local breeder. But there are occasions when a wandering puppy walks into someone’s life and literally chooses its owner.
If this scenario should ever happen to you and you decide to share your home with a puppy or dog that you found and cannot trace the rightful owners, it is important to make sure that you follow some simple guidelines so that the dog is healthy and will be a good addition to your lifestyle.
First, take the lost dog to the vet
Bring your wandering dog to the veterinarian as soon as you can. Besides offering food and water, this is the very first thing that you should do when you find a lost dog and decide to keep him. The veterinarian will check his overall health condition and let you know if there are any type of contagious viruses to worry about. If the dog is indeed sick, then he will be taking care of immediately. Once he checks out in good health, congratulations, you have a new friend!
Be cautious of the lost dog’s mental and emotional state
When taking care of a lost dog you have to keep in mind that his history may have involved some negative experiences that could induce aggression and fear-based behavior at any time. It would be a lot easier if you knew exactly what the dog has gone through, but since he came into your life from the streets then you will never know for sure. Therefore, it is important to take training slowly, be very patient with commands, and never become aggressive with your dog, ever!
What if you do not want to keep him after all?
It happens, people change their minds. If you ultimately decide that having a dog is not right for you and you are concerned that he may be more of a burden than positive addition to the house, then you must find a good home for the dog.
I know you may feel guilty about giving him away, especially after the dog has probably latched onto you and trusts you, but it is better to find a quality atmosphere that the dog will be raised in instead of living a life of annoyance and negativity just because you felt bad about giving him away.