STRAY DOG TRAPPING POLICY

As a lost dog team, we share the heartache of owners whose dogs are never found. We know that dogs don’t simply vanish into thin air. Chances are high that many of our cold case dogs were picked up by well-meaning people—people who probably thought the dog had been abandoned, so they either kept the dog or gave it away, making little to no effort to find the dog’s original family.

Because of our passion for reuniting lost dogs with their owners, we have stringent requirements when we are asked to trap a stray dog. Please be sure you’re willing to fulfill these obligations before requesting our assistance.

BEFORE ENGAGING THE RETRIEVERS

You must make a good-faith effort for at least two weeks to find the dog’s owner. We don’t want to capture and remove a dog that is simply free-roaming in his own neighborhood. By “good-faith effort,” we mean:

1. Post a sighting or “Is This Your Dog?” report on the Lost Dog – MN page on Facebook.

2. Post a photo on your community’s NextDoor and Craigslist pages, as well as local Facebook groups, and ask if anyone knows who the dog belongs to.

3. Put up “Is This Your Dog?” flyers and signs in the community where the dog is being seen.

4. Call your local authorities (shelter, animal control, police, sheriff, etc.) to report the stray and see if anyone has reported a lost dog.

5. Search various online lost-and-found pet sites to see if anyone has posted a lost dog matching the description of the dog you are seeing.

While you are searching for the owner, set out a feeding station and verify that the dog has returned to it at least three times.

CAPTURE AND CUSTODY

We all have a role to play in doing what’s right for lost dogs—and that starts with following local stray hold laws. We can’t in good conscience support placing a found dog directly into a private home before those steps are followed.

You must notify local authorities and continue searching for the dog’s owner during the required stray hold (usually 5 or 10 days in Minnesota, depending on local ordinances). In the meantime, the dog should be transferred to a reputable rescue or no-kill shelter, where it will be safe, visible to anyone searching, and receive needed veterinary care—including spay or neuter if unclaimed. If no owner comes forward and you’d like to give the dog a permanent home, you may apply to adopt.

We prioritize working with established rescues and shelters that share our commitment to reuniting lost dogs with their families. In some cases, we may need to use discretion when determining the most appropriate placement for a dog to ensure that commitment is upheld.

You are responsible for lining up the rescue or no-kill shelter in advance and securing its commitment to accept the dog when captured. The Retrievers cannot take custody of captured strays. We must have a commitment from a rescue or no-kill shelter to take the dog BEFORE we can accept a stray trapping case. If your local impound is not a no-kill facility, you must arrange for a rescue to take the dog after its stray hold to ensure its safety. To ensure that expectations are clear, the rescue or shelter must submit our Rescue Partner Agreement.

Remember that a successful capture can happen at any time of the day or night. Please make plans with someone from the rescue or shelter to be there when the dog is secured. You, the shelter volunteer and your case manager should have a clear, coordinated plan before the trap is armed.