FOUND A GOLDEN?

You've found a golden and don't know what to do?  Here's a checklist to get you started.  We can guide you through this and make sure we get this 'boy' or 'girl' back home.

1. One of the first things to do is to check the dog for any injuries, provide some fresh water and get him/her inside out of the heat. 

2. Did you find any tags on the dog, or other identification?  Some dogs that have been micro chipped have an identification tag for either AVID or Home Again (2 most popular micro chip companies).  These tags will have a phone number you can use to locate the dog's owner.

3. Does the dog look familiar?  Have you seen him/her around your neighborhood?  Even if you haven't, you should check with your neighbors to see if they have lost a dog.  This may involve driving around the neighborhood as well as walking door to door.  With either your cell phone or digital camera, get a photo of the dog – it's used a lot to help get a lost golden home safely.

4. Did you know that any PetsMart, Petco, and Vet's office will scan a found dog 'free' to see if they have a microchip?  The microchip will identify the dog's owner, address, and phone number.  If at all possible, please take the dog to one of these places for a scan.

5. No tags, no micro chip, not recognized by any of your neighbors, now what?  Give us, AZGRC, a call 602-870-0037, and the other 3 Golden Retriever rescue groups in the Phoenix area.  When you call to report that you found a golden, please give us your nearest cross streets and a zip code.  We return all calls within 24 hours:
    

   ·	Arizona Golden Rescue	623-566-9247
   ·	Arizona Retriever Rescue	480-946-8704
   ·	Rescue a Golden	602-404-9663
   AZGRC or one of the other Golden Retriever rescue groups may have gotten a call from    the owner reporting the dog 'lost'.

6. Now we need the picture you took.  You can e-mail us the digital photo of the dog, we'll provide the e-mail address when you call us.

7. Posting the found dog – if you have Internet access go to www.pets911.com - go to Lost and Found, then go to Report the Stray Pet.  Provide the information requested and post the photo you took.  If the dog does have a collar or some kind of identifying markings, try not to 'tell everything' in your posting.  Let whoever calls you back give you some kind of unique identifier about the dog. 

8. Checking for lost dogs – while you're at www.pets911.com, go to the Search Lost Pets Reports and see if you can locate a posting of the dog you've found. 

9. Use the photo again – creating posters/flyers with the dog's picture is a very helpful tool.  You can post these in your neighborhood, with any vet office near you, at the closest supermarket, and other community locations where there's lot of people 'traffic'. 

By now, you've been in contact with either us, or one of the other Golden Retriever rescue groups, and we'll help you from here.