Serving Brooklyn's Off-Leash Community

Rescue/Adoption/Reuniting Lost Dogs

You've Found A Dog--Find the Owner Check Out FIDO's Lost Pets Page Costs of owning a pet Medical Financial Help Local Rescue Shelters Rescue Organizations Abandoned Dogs All About Adoption Spaying/ Neutering Where To Adopt  FIDO Contributes to Animal Rescue Groups. FIDO In Prospect Park is pleased to announce that we are actively soliciting rescue groups to be donation recipients for FIDO’s next fiscal year. In order to qualify, groups must be/ submit the following: Proof of 501c3 tax exempt status   Must serve Brooklyn’s animal community to some degree (group does not necessarily have to be based in Brooklyn)   Must submit a letter requesting donation funds. Said letter must include a mission statement or description of what the group is trying to accomplish.   Any other supporting documents the group thinks useful to the submission All decisions on whom and how much is given will be made by the FIDO Rescue Committee. Please email all submissions to: fidobrooklynrescue@gmail.com FIDO welcomes your suggestions for other rescue groups deserving of support in the coming fiscal year. Costs Of Owning A Pet From The Money Geek... Here a dose of reality that most of us never stopped to consider: www.moneygeek.com/living/resources/pet-expenses/ Finding A Lost Dog's Owner Before anything else, send your information to fidolostdog@gmail.com If you find a dog with tags that don’t include a home phone/ address, call the veterinarian identified on the rabies vaccination tag. The veterinarian should be able to identify the owner by the rabies tag number. If the dog has no tags, there is a good possibility that the dog may be microchipped. Most vets have the facility to scan the dog between its shoulder blades to see if it can be identified. This service is not terribly expensive, painless - often as little as $35 which includes the registration number by which you are contacted. Chip must be registered though (often neglected). Try looking for a tattoo, usually on the inside of the right back leg – you may need to part the fur on some dogs, and even shave a patch to read a tattoo. Racing Greyhounds and some imported dogs may have tattoos on their ears, so be sure to check there, too. Tattoos normally identify either the pet (and in the case of racing Greyhounds, age), or the registry. If the dog appears to have been lost recently, (healthy but panicked) try walking around the neighborhood and asking if anyone recognizes it. It may have slipped its collar only a few minutes ago and the owner is actively looking for their pet, or perhaps doesn't realize it’s gone. Dogs know whee they live so look for any reaction. Post flyers in your neighborhood, at pet supply shops in and around Prospect Park, and at your veterinarian’s office. Many veterinary offices will take a description of the dog over the phone. Cast your net wide as you can, because a lost dog may travel some distance. If possible, posend an email to Fidolostdog@gmail.com. We will repost to FIDO Facebook which in turn gets picked up by local rescue social media. Local Groups Reuniting Lost Pets With Owners Mayor's Alliance Lost Pet Registry See below or register with the Mayor's Alliance "Lost pet registry" at 311. Animal Care Center volunteers scour neighborhood blogs and postings to match lost & found pets. It really works. The Animal Care Centers website (City shelteer system) www.nycacc.org/FoundPet.htm) Volunteers now scan neighborhood blogs and postings to match up lost and found pets. You can check lost/found listings most with photos. While this may not be a complete listing of the animals in their care, it may help an owner trying to find their dog in addition to physically searching the shelters. Another note: dogs found as strays by the police in Brooklyn do not necessarily go to the Brooklyn ACC. Lots of times police will make the trip to the Manhattan ACC. Note - see the shelter list at bottom of this page. Lost & Found Pets Brooklyn see their website Craig's List Brooklyn Often Craig's List has been helpful. Log in at: http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/laf Purebred Lost Dogs If the dog is a purebred, look to the web or the list below for a rescue organization devoted to that breed - they may well be able to foster the dog or find it a home. A great place to start is AKC’s rescue page, which lists all AKC-recognized breed rescue organization. www.akc.org/akc-rescue-network/ Abandoned Dogs Unfortunately, many or most dogs found in Brooklyn are abandoned, not lost. Sad to say no-kill shelters have long waiting lists. While small dogs may be able to go to a shelter like Bide-a-Wee, larger dogs are harder for them to fit in. In any case, you’ll have to hold the animal for ten days in order to establish ownership before you surrender it. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to find a permanent or foster home right away, but if not, the truth is that you can expect to invest substantial time and money in your rescue. If you’re unable to do that, you’ll have to find a rescue organization or take the dog to to a city Animal Care Center where the odds are pretty high that the animal will be euthanized. If the dog is a pit bull (or look-alike), those odds rise. Don’t blame the ACC - blame the huge number of people who dump their pets or don’t spay/neuter. If you can’t keep the dog at home but want to place it in a care facility, you might consider boarding. Kennels cost about $20/day (less in the suburbs.) Look for a place that has runs, smells clean, and offers ample visiting hours. There is one other option. If you have a friend in the suburbs who is willing to become the dog’s “owner,” that person may be able to take the dog to a local shelter. Conditions there may be better and the shelter may be a no-kill, or at least have a longer waiting period than the ACC. The Good News is that dogs do find homes. Help is out there. To make the dog more adoptable (because it’s the right thing to do) you should take the animal to a veterinarian for an exam, shots, and a spay/ neuter if necessary. Many veterinarians will discount their fees for strays, especially if you have other pets under their care. By all means ask. Can't keep the dog yourself? Know that it's perfectly acceptable to not want to take on an abandoned dog for any reason. There's no need to say you haven't the room; your other dog won't adjust; you can't afford double veterinary bills. Simply tell people that you can't keep the dog but do make an effort to find a foster/adoption opportunity. See local rescue organizations below... These are rescue organization who take in and foster abandoned dogs with the hopes that they will eventually find a home for them. Do offer a sizable donation - these organization always are short of funds. And they do good work! Adoption To be adoptable, a dog must be housebroken. It helps if the dog is trained to sit, down, stay and walk reasonably on a lead. A book many people have found helpful, is Carol Lea Benjamin’s, Second Hand Dog. If you can spend the money, it certainly can’t hurt to attend obedience classes. If the dog has more serious behavioral problems, in particular aggression, you will either have to put in the work necessary to make the dog manageable; find a home where the dog’s problems are known and can be handled; or have the dog euthanized. It may sound shocking that we say the latter, but you really can’t foist the dog off onto an unsuspecting person and hope everything will be okay. It probably won’t be okay and someone including the dog, may get badly hurt. A dog with problems may wind up going from home to home, encountering progressively worse situations - a far cruel ending than a quick painless death. But most behavior problems are treatable... If you have a found dog with behavior problems, please consult a trainer or behaviorist. FIDO maintains a sponsored link (page left) which includes trainers. Or ask around... You should also be aware that some behavior problems may be linked to a health problem. Thyroid dysfunction, for example, can be attributed to aggression and is easily helped with daily, inexpensive medication. So be sure to consult a veterinarian to rule out this and other contributing health issues. FIDO Rescue Committee Shelters/Rescue Organizations It's always a good idea to make a suitable donation to the rescue organization whether it is required or not. Most rescue organization run at a deficit... It's the right thing to do. Local Rescue Organizations Sean Casey Animal Rescue Sean Casey, Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator 155 E. 3rd Street (Between Fort Hamilton Pkway & Caton Ave)Brooklyn, NY Phone: 718 436-7387 Also see: www.nyanimalrescue.org Come adopt or volunteer some quality time with Sean's rescue animals. You may even find exotic reptiles as well because Sean is also a city designated reptile rescuer. Adoption charges include shots; chipping, vet check & more. Pet foods and supplies are also on hand. Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue Saving badass dogs from idiot humans... www.badassbrooklynanimalrescue.com/ Founded by Eva Armstrong, Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit, all volunteer network of rescuers, fosters and volunteers who work together to rescue, rehabilitate and find homes for sweet, loving, adoptable dogs from pounds in the rural south. Mighty Mutts An all-volunteer, no-kill organization dedicated to the rescue, care, and placement of the stray animals of New York City. www.MightyMutts.org/ Foster Dogs NYC Volunteers will try to match you up with someone who can do foster care. Please submit this form: http://tinyurl.com/submitfdnyc City Organizations The Mayor's Alliance The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc. works with the City of New York toward the day when no New York City dog or cat of reasonable health and temperament is killed merely because he or she does not have a home. To achieve that goal, the Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, has formed a public-private partnership with the City of New York to develop creative solutions to deal with issues of animal care and control in New York City. We are bringing together all not-for-profit animal care groups, small and large, that are already working effectively to place and/or spay and neuter New York City's dogs and cats. Through our multi-year program, we will help these groups work to their highest potential. www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org/aboutus/index.htm Animal Care Centers (City Animal Shelters) www.nycacc.org All inquiries and requests for Field Operations assistance (picking up stray or injured animals, trapped animals, etc.), 8am - 8pm, M-F: (212) 788-4000 or call 311 As of 2012, they have voluneers who match found dogs with missing dog reports. Brooklyn Shelter 2336 Linden Blvd 8am - 8pm seven days: (718) 272-7206 Pet for adoption - photos on view Info: www.nycacc.org Manhattan Shelter 8am - 8pm seven days: (212) 722-4939 Bronx Shelter 8am - 4pm, Tues & Fri only Queens Shelter 8am - 4pm, Wed & Thurs Staten Island (718) 984-6643 ASPCA 212 876 7700 Animal Placement 212 876 4120/ 4121 www.aspca.org Bide-a-Wee 410 East 38th Street NYC 212 532 4455 www.bideawee.org North Shore Animal League Lewyt Street Port Washington, NY 11050 www.nsal.org National Organizations The Humane Society of the United States www.hsus.org/index.html National Online Shelter Weekly photographic updates of available dogs and cats. Betty Saul's Petfinder.org will allow you to access Bide-a-Wee, A.S.P.C.A. as well as Brooklyn's Might Mutts. Info: www.petfinder.com The Senior Dogs Project Looking Out for Older Dogs? "Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog." - Sydney Jeanne Seward www.srdogs.com/ Cats Great cat group in Brooklyn, who will help people with stray cat problems in their neighborhoods, and educate about Trap, Neuter, and Return: Brooklyn Animal Action Breed Rescue All American Kennel Club recognized breeds www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm Rat Terrier Rescue www.ratterrierresq.com/ Italian Greyhound Place Rescues, fosters, and re-homes Italian Greyhounds and Italian Greyhound mixes. www.italiangreyhoundplace.com Irish Setter Rescue (NJ) http://www.irishrescue.org/ Pit Bull Rescue Central https://www.pmarinc.org/ German Shepherd www.gsrescue.org/ Golden Retriever www.peppertree.org/ Adopt a Greyhound www.adopt-a-greyhound.org Long Island Greyhound Adoption www.nyfd.com/greyhound.html Rotweiller www.rottrescue.org Spay & Neuter Vet Mobile... http://animalalliancenyc.org/needhelp/spayneuter.htm Specializing in low cost services. With a staff of seven veterinarians, three vet techs and volunteer adminstration, the Vet Mobile van is accessed through the above link. Appointments are only required for elective surgeries. Other medical issuues are triaged, first come, first served. ASPCA... The ASPCA has a spay/neuter van that does low cost altering around the 5 boroughs. For more info visit the ASPCA website www.aspca.org Rescue Support Organizations Financial Help N.Y.S.A.V.E www.nysave.org/ NY S.A.V.E, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to the aid and assistance of low-income pet owners residing in one of the five boroughs of New York City, whose pet is in need of emergency veterinary care. A.S.P.C.A. www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_nyc_berghhospital The Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital is located inside the ASPCA’s New York City headquarters at 424 East 92 Street. We are a premier AAHA-certified, small animal, medical, surgical and emergency facility, and have been providing high-quality specialized and general medicine to public and shelter animals since 1912.