Found small tan dog near Salem Rd & Meadowlake - anyone missing one?

Posting this for a neighbor and myself. This morning around 7:30 I was out front looking at a section of fascia that's been bugging me, and a small tan dog came trotting up Salem Road from the Meadowlake direction. No collar, no tags. She (I'm pretty sure it's a she) is maybe 20-25 lbs, short hair, floppy-ish ears, a little white on the chest. Super friendly. She flopped over for belly rubs about two seconds after meeting me, so she's definitely somebody's dog or was at some point. She looked a little thin but not bad, just hot and thirsty. It was already muggy at that hour.

She's at a neighbor's house now, inside with the AC and water, being spoiled. I'd rather not put the neighbor's address out here, but message me and I'll connect you if she's yours.

A few things I'm trying to figure out, since I know people will ask:

- Does anyone know which vets in Conway will scan for a microchip for free? I'd rather not just show up somewhere and get told it's a $30 office visit for a 10-second scan. If you've had it done, tell me where.
- What's the best way to go through the Conway animal shelter on this? Do we bring her in, call first, or file a found report and keep her at the house? I don't want to do it wrong and make it harder on the owner.
- Does anyone have a scanner? Rescue folks, groomers, somebody who fosters?

We'll make flyers tonight too. If you know of a dog gone missing off Salem, Meadowlake, or anywhere near there, please say something. And if you've seen a lost dog post on any other group, send it my way. Thanks all, and please share it around.

Bless you for taking her in out of this heat, it's been awful. I'm over in Beaverfork so not far from you. I haven't heard of anyone missing a dog but I'll ask around at church Wednesday.

On the scanner, I'd just call a vet's office first and ask if they'll do a quick scan if you walk in. In my experience a lot of them will, especially for a found dog, but calling ahead saves you the trip. I'd call the shelter too and get a found report on file even if she stays at the neighbor's. That way if the owner calls them first, she's already there in the system.

One tip on the flyers, leave off one detail like the white on her chest or her exact size, so when somebody calls you can ask them to describe her. There's always someone who just wants a free dog. Put a good clear photo on there though.

Hope she gets home soon.

Second what Barb said about leaving a detail off the flyer. We did that years back when our beagle got out and it weeded out a couple of callers right away.

I'd also check the Salem Road end for neighbors with fenced yards, a lot of folks out toward Lake Conway don't post anything online, they just put up a sign at the mailbox. Might be worth walking Meadowlake and knocking a few doors tonight while it's still light. Bulletin boards at the feed stores and the laundromat work too, people still look at those.

Good on y'all for getting her out of the heat.

Good point about the mailbox signs, rickscott. Out that way folks will tape a piece of cardboard to the post and never touch a computer. My sister-in-law found her cat that way years ago.

Rick810, if you do the bulletin boards, the Harps one gets a lot of eyes, and so does the one at the post office if they'll let you. Take a few of the little tear-off tabs with your number, since people walking past never have a pen.

That whole stretch out toward Lake Conway used to be mostly open land and everybody's dogs just ran loose, so a few of the older folks out there might know whose she is even if they don't post. Worth a knock or two.

Barb's right about the older folks. When I first settled out by the lake, half the dogs on Salem ran from yard to yard and everybody knew whose was whose. A lot of those families are gone now, or the kids have the places, but a few are still out there and they notice every stray that comes through. Worth a knock.

One more thing, when you call the shelter about the found report, ask if they'll scan her themselves. I'd guess they have a reader on hand, and that might save you the vet trip altogether... or at least tell you whether it's worth making one.

Hope she's still sprawled out on that cool floor and not fretting.

Thanks, Barb, and rickscott too. Two Ricks in one thread is going to get confusing.

Update from this morning. We did flyers last night and I walked Meadowlake until it got dark. Nobody home at about half the houses, and the ones who answered hadn't heard of a missing dog. I left a flyer at a couple of places with fenced yards. I did leave off the white chest patch like you said, and I'm keeping the weight vague too. Good tip on the tear-off tabs. I would have forgotten that and then stood there at Harps with no pen myself.

Nobody has called yet. The neighbor says she slept on the kitchen tile most of the night and ate like she hadn't seen food in a while. I'll call the shelter when they open and ask about the found report and whether they'll scan her. If they won't, I'll try a vet after that.

Still haven't gotten to that fascia. The dog has been a better use of my morning anyway.

Rick, good on you for putting the fascia second. It will keep, and the dog won't. 🐕

Since you're calling the shelter this morning, a few things I'd ask while you have them on the line:

1. Whether they'll scan her on the spot, as rickscott suggested. If they will, you may not need a vet at all.
2. What their hold period and found-report process is, so you know how long a report stays active. Get the name of whoever you speak with.
3. Whether they'd rather you keep her at the neighbor's or bring her in. Policies differ and I wouldn't want to guess for them.

If a clinic is your fallback, call ahead and say plainly that you have a found dog and only need a scan, not an exam. I can't vouch for any one office's policy, but in my experience most will do a quick scan for a stray without making an appointment of it. If a chip turns up, the number only tells you which registry it's in, so you'll need to look it up and call them. That step trips people up.

Also, since she's thin, I'd feed her small portions a few times today rather than one big bowl. A hungry dog that gulps a full meal often gets sick, and that's a mess for your neighbor's kitchen tile. 😄

Keep us posted. I'm rooting for her to get home today.

Thanks, Greg. The small-portions tip was a good one, because the neighbor had been about to fill a mixing bowl. She got four little meals yesterday and the tile stayed clean.

Update on the shelter. I called when they opened and asked all three of your questions. They did scan her on the spot, so I took her over around 10 and the scan came back with no chip. They took a found report and gave me a name to ask for if I call back. They said she can stay at the neighbor's as long as she's being cared for, but they want me to check in so the report stays active. I'll keep calling back to make sure it doesn't lapse.

Two calls off the flyers. One was a guy looking for a bigger dog, so not her. The other described a brown lab mix and didn't get any of it right when I asked, so I kept it vague and thanked him. Barb was right about that.

So no owner yet. The neighbor's kids have started calling her Biscuit, which worries me a little. I'm going to knock on a few more doors off Salem toward the lake tomorrow evening, since rickscott said the older folks out there notice everything.