What should you do if you come across a lost dog?

• First, pull off the road and make sure you’re not putting yourself in danger.
• Turn the car off and put your hazard lights on.
• Put your cell phone in your pocket before you leave the car.
• Next, keeping yourself out of traffic, get to a position where you can see the dog. Quickly access the dog’s mental and physical state:
  •  Is he hurt or aggressive, both which could lead to a bite? (Remember, if you are bitten by an unknown dog who then turns and runs, you’ll need to receive rabies treatment. If he’s injured or aggressive, call for help first.)
  • If he's not injured or aggressive, calmly try to call the dog over to you. If you have some dog treats with you, take them along as a lure to try to attract the dog.
• If you can lure the dog toward you, try to reach his collar, a dog may shy away when reaching for his collar, or put a leash or rope made into a slip leash to drop over his head and around his neck.
• Check his collar for identification and a phone number.
• Put the dog in the car and call the number on the collar. It’s best if you don’t have to drive with a strange, unrestrained dog in the car.
• Alternately, if you can call a friend or family member to come help, that’s a huge help as well..
• If there’s no collar or no tag, you’ll need to next take him to a veterinarian or shelter to see if he might have a microchip and a family that’s desperately seeking his return.