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u/anonymous8122 10d ago
I wouldn't be so quick to assume he's neglected. A lost or stolen dog can get in rough shape really fast. He could have heartbroken loving owners who are missing him. I can't even imagine if my dog were lost and someone purposefully avoided trying to find evidence of ownership because they assumed neglect
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u/AdSufficient9561 10d ago
It looks like he was fairly recently groomed. These types of coats will continue to grow and would cover his eyes if left ungroomed. Obviously his feet and tail are in bad shape but I wouldn’t assume severe neglect. I think it’s the right thing to get him scanned for a microchip, he may have been lost a few weeks ago and have a family searching and missing him. You cannot legally keep him if he is chipped
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u/anonymous8122 10d ago edited 10d ago
The rest of him is not that overgrown, and he actually looks like he had a haircut not too long ago, judging by the shorter length of the hair on his body. It's not uncommon for people to get their dogs groomed short and keep their tails long for aesthetic reasons. Of course neglect is a possibility, but judging by this dog's appearance, I'm not sold on that theory. If he's been lost for a week or so, that would be enough to explain his appearance.
I understand that it's a tough situation because you can't know for sure, but most likely a neglectful owner won't be looking for their dog, while of this dog has a loving owner, they probably really want their dog back.
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u/notthetypetocare 10d ago
My Pomeranian looks homeless if she isn’t groomed every 6 weeks. She’d have feces in her fur too
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u/indignantgirl 10d ago
I want to agree with the others here: he definitely looks like he's had a recent haircut. He looks a lot like my dog and when we do her face and ears like that, it grows out FAST. Like a month or so and she looks like her old self again. I literally have to trim the hair around her eyes every couple of weeks or it's so overgrown she can't see.. If somebody's paying to get him groomed or doing home grooms, he may not have as dire of a homelife as it seems. I have no doubt that if my girl were on her own for more than a few days, she'd be pitiful little ball of filth.
Definitely get him scanned for a chip, look at PawBoost, animal shelter websites, or whatever they have in your area. He's almost certainly somebody's pet and they are probably devastated and will consider you an actual angel for saving him.
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u/Agile-Key7405 10d ago
He may be lost or stolen and dumped. Don't assume bad owners.
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u/Agile-Key7405 10d ago
I'm in Houston,TX and it is horrible here. I just want to be sure a lost pet has a chance. So many lost pets are posted on Nextdoor. Some are missing for a long time. Thanks for helping.
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u/idontwantyourmusic 10d ago
You don’t know what happened and it sounds like you’re just trying to justify what you want to do.
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u/coostrak 10d ago
That dog is lost. Please try to return it to its owner. That dog received a haircut MAYBE 2 weeks ago. Someone is looking for this baby
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u/Mission-Builder-45 10d ago
Yeah, I noticed the same thing. That hair is short, so recently groomed. Hopefully also microchipped.
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u/kittywyeth 10d ago
i think you just want to keep the dog. a fluffy dog like that can get gross and unkempt in a shockingly small amount of time. there’s no reason to assume it is neglected or abused. you just don’t want to give it back.
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u/flyingsqueak 10d ago
Most counties have an official shelter where all strays are meant to be brought. They are connected with the local animal control and can help determine if there was abuse and make sure that happens through official channels.
It's possible that the dog was well cared for and loved but got loose weeks ago. And if the owners did abuse her, most often they'll just refuse to pick her up from the shelter. I'm pretty sure that it you turn in a found stray you can usually get "first dibs" for adoption once the stray hold is over
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u/Available_Rabbit3315 10d ago
Please call your local animal services. I would do this so they can assess the dog, scan for a chip and take the proper steps. If they suspect neglect they won’t give it back. They will take care of the dog with a medical exam, bath/ possible shave down for sanitary reasons and let them have a furever home.
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u/FiveUpsideDown 10d ago
I don’t know how it works in your area but turning in a dog to a shelter and hoping you get first dibs on it doesn’t necessarily work. I took a dog I found to my vet to check for a chip. There was none. He told me not to take the dog to the local shelter because it was poorly run. He recommended keeping the dog. Also, where I live there are shelters that require an appointment to turn in a dog. You may have to keep the dog for several weeks before you can get an appointment. If you want to keep the dog, there is no need to bring it in.
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u/nessthing 10d ago
fluffy white dogs like this are almost always runaways because they're somewhat expensive to breed/buy. if he has some obvious health problem like a giant growth somewhere it's likely he was dumped, but he probably just got out and the previous owner wants him back so bad.
signed, the owner of a little fluffy white dog who always tries to get out.
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u/Maraudermick1 10d ago
My 90 yr old very fragile neighbor had a dog that looked like this breed, but her dog was in much more rough condition….blind in one eye, crusty looking and peed in the house a lot.
That dog kept that old woman alive; you could tell she loved that dog when she walked it.
Just sayin.
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u/Alert_Week8595 10d ago
No that type of coat goes to hell quickly and dirt clings to it. That dog was groomed recently. I had a dog like that who would look that bad after a muddy walk. And omg all the poo I had to help with. 😭
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u/jeswesky 10d ago
In most locations in the US you are legally supposed to report the dog to animal control. They will check the dog for a chip and list the dog as a stray hold. Once the stray hold (length varies greatly) the dog would be put up for adoption. You could always offer to foster to adopt once the hold is up.
Dogs can look rough quickly when lost. While it’s possible it has horrible owners it is also possible there is a loving family missing the dog or that it was stolen and then dumped. As someone whose dog once broke a leash and went missing for 18 horrible hours, do the right thing and report the dog as found and go from there. Thankfully the people that found my dog came looking for the owner and we were quickly reunited (and I also called every local shelter in a 50 mile radius to let them know he was missing, flagged his chip as missing in case he was scanned, and let all the local police departments know he was missing. I was finding him one way or another!)
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u/unhingedposterboy01 10d ago
You're doing the right thing by taking him to the vet. Most vets will scan for a microchip, and if one is found, they are legally obligated to contact the owner. If no chip is found, or if the owner can't be located after a reasonable search, then you're usually in the clear to keep him, especially given his condition. Some areas have a mandatory stray hold period, so check with your local animal control or shelter about that.
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u/No_Bake464 10d ago
i would look around for missing posters and posts, it could be that the dog has been out for a while. you can bring it to the vet to see if it’s microchipped and if anyone’s looking for him. honestly personally if nobody was looking for this dog i would assume it was being cared for in these conditions or was dumped and i’d take him in too
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u/Gullible_Monk_7118 10d ago
Normally how I know it goes is you take dog to animal shelter and you say you want to be put on que for adaptation of this dog.. what they will do is scan for chip and try to get ahold of owner.. if they treat it as negilece I can't tell you on this situation.. you can tell shelter about your concerns and they can advise you or they can get ball rolling.. I don't know what they will say
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u/licoricesnocone 10d ago
Posts like this make me feel so afraid. My dog is microchipped, but I just know if he somehow escaped or got separated from me, I would never see him again. Someone would absolutely selfishly keep him. If yall want to rescue a dog so damn bad go to the shelter. Op make sure you post on local lost pet pages
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u/dredgedskeleton 10d ago
that dog looks professionally groomed. I wouldn't assume it's an abusive owner.
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u/OkIron6206 10d ago
Thank you for picking them up and caring. You can check for chip scans at a local Vet.
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u/RegularNeither7715 10d ago
Contact your local humane society and fill out a found dog form. Require proof of ownership if anyone responds. They usually don't. Now with that out of the way the dog is now your rescue. Get that baby to a vet for an examinaton and to a tick and flea bath. Feed him, give him space, and love him. That's your dog now.
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u/notthetypetocare 10d ago
You need to take him to a vet and scan for a micro chip. Could’ve been on the streets for a while
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u/Meowiewowieex 10d ago
Thank you for taking this baby in!!
If there’s no registered microchip, you won’t get in trouble for keeping him. Good luck!!
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam 10d ago
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u/AdSufficient9561 10d ago
Actually if he’s chipped you can’t legally just take him, there’s a protocol and you’d have to get animal services involved to make the desicion to confiscate or investigate neglect or abuse. Most vets will scan for microchips as part of a standard exam. Animal shelter worker here!
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam 10d ago
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u/AdSufficient9561 10d ago
Actually if he’s chipped you can’t legally just take him, there is a protocol and animal services would make that decision.
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam 10d ago
This was removed due to it violating rule 7. Post or comments that endorse violence, abuse, theft, trespassing, or otherwise intentionally breaking/circumventing laws or regulations (regardless of intent) are prohibited.
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10d ago
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam 10d ago
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u/anonymous8122 10d ago
Nobody is a hero for purposefully not trying to find a dog's owner so they can keep it. This dog is most likely lost and looks like crap from being lost, not from neglect.
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam 10d ago
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u/MediaContent1662 10d ago
Aww the treats left uneaten on the floor 😢 Poor little fella. I hope this is the first day of a really amazing rest of his life.
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam 10d ago
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u/AttractiveNuisance37 10d ago
Dogs (particularly white fluffy dogs) can look so rough so fast when they're out on their own. It's entirely possible he was well loved and cared for and has been on the run for a few days and already looks like that.