found puppy

[Kismet]

My neighbors came to me this morning with a boxer puppy they found under their porch. He's about 10 weeks old from what I can tell.

We've been caring for this little guy all day and happily he fits into our family. (We're calling him Tater.) Our 11 month old male, Harley, loves having him here.

I've call the vet's office and let the mailman know that we have the puppy. No one seems to be looking for him: no signs up, no one coming door to door or even driving around the neighborhoods.

I don't know how hard I should look for his owners because they seem not to care about him. If he were my puppy, I'd be frantic. It's 90 degrees outside!

Have I looked hard enough for the owners or should I run an ad in the newspaper? I just can't help but feel that if the owners don't care about him when he's little and cute, what kind of life will he have with them?

 

[gmacleod]

You should run an ad, definitely. And let a few shelters and more than one vet know you've got him too.

It's quite possible that he was stolen, then later abandoned far from home. Or even that he's run quite far. So his owners may very well be searching frantically for him - just many miles away.

I dare say it is also possible that his owners have abandoned him - but I don't think you've got enough information to make that assumption yet. But advertise his existance widely before you assume too much hmmm? There just might be some heartbroken people out there wondering whether their pup is even alive...

 

[Kismet]

I called the newspaper and since it's a holiday weekend they are closed through Monday. If we still have him by then I will run an ad.

We live in a very small town in eastern North Carolina, so I've called the hardware store. (Don't laugh too hard!)

The little one has fleas. I've bathed him in baby shampoo and rinsed him in white vinegar w/ water. But, I'm still picking a few large fleas off of him. Since he only weighs 10 pounds, I'm afraid to use anything stronger.

 

[gmacleod]

Got some brewers yeast? That'll get the fleas off. Just rub it into his coat - outside, because there'll be a swift evacuation of remaining lodgers

 

[Slobber Baby]

Where in NC are you?? Is there anything I can do to help? There are quite a few members from NC here... I'll try to do what I can..

Laura

 

[Kismet]

Hi Laura and G,

I'm in Washington -- but far out in the county. It's pretty rural here. Most people know each other (or are related.)

I appreciate your offer for help, but we're fine with having him stay w/ us. That's why our neighbor brought him to us this morning. She knew we'd take him in. How could we say no?

Thank you for the Brewer's yeast tip. I'll definately give it a try!

Tater's really cute. He's fawn w/ black and flash. Definately not a show dog though. His ears are huge, snout is a little too long, has his dew claws, and his tail is docked at a hunting length. (Our Dana was a pointer who had a tail like that.)

Thank you so much for your thoughts.

 

[carrojod]

I would also suggest you take him to a vet to see if he is microchipped. Good luck with the little guy!

 

[maddox04]

Washington, NC

Howdy,
Chuck (skindad), Maddox (19mo. fawn boxerboy) & I (Sallie-skinmom) live in FuquayVarina, NC (south of Raleigh). Maddox's grandparents (my side) live in "Lil" Washington. Actually, they are closer to Bath than Washington, but have a Washington ph # & address. Anyway, they live at "Hawkin's Beach", right on the river. We go to lil Washington about once a month. If you ever want to have a playdate sometime, we can interact on here to find a common ground.
It is a good idea to have him scanned to see if he has a microchip (at either a vet's office or a shelter). If Washington can't scan him, Greenville would most definitely have a place that is able to scan him. Good Luck with your new lil one.

 

[boxerchick12]

Hey, I'm in NC, too (I live in Hertford, near Elizabeth City). If you don't have any luck with the ads or anything (and believe me, I totally understand the hardware store thing, those guys keep up on all the town gossip!) but if you need further help, I work with a really GREAT rescue group, if you google carolina boxer rescue and Wilmington, NC you'll find them. You can get their e-mail that way.

 

[Kismet]

Thanks, Chuck. Harley would love a playdate! He gets along very well with everyone. You can e-mail us directly at email removed by Moderator.

We never expected that we'd have Tater past noon yesterday, but he's still here. He slept quietly at the foot of our bed with Harley and basically slept through the night. (He only needed to go out at 2:00AM -- pretty good for such a little guy.) Not what we expected at all.

We're continueing our search for his humans. My husband got on line this morning and did a national search for him. Nothing turned up. I told him that an angel brought Tater to us from the Gulf, but he's not buying it.