We’re a group of volunteers who help people look for their for missing pets. However, we’re sometimes asked to help when people find animals out alone, injured or where there are welfare concerns. Unfortunately, we can’t deal with these incidents as we’re not vets and we don’t have the facilities to take in animals and care for them but we have given some advice below which we hope is helpful.
Stray or abandoned dogs
A dog is a “stray” if it’s alone without its owner in a public place – it may be lost or has escaped from. An “abandoned” dog has been left behind by its owner on purpose, leaving it without care or a new home.
If you see a stray or abandoned dog, you should always report it, even if you can’t stop to do anything. This can simply be a quick call to the Police on 101 or by putting up a post on a local Facebook page or animal charity. We can put a post up if you message our Facebook page.
If you find a stray or abandoned dog and are able to do something here are some steps you can take.
- Only approach the dog if it is calm. Do not, under any circumstances, approach a dog which is aggressive, appears scared or which growls or shows its teeth. Report these dogs immediately to the local council’s dog warden or the Police. If the dog is an immediate threat call 999. Stay as far away as possible and keep an eye on the dog. Do not put yourself or others in any danger.
- If the dog is friendly and calm and can be approached, check the collar for an ID tag. By law, all dogs (except some working dogs) should have a collar and ID tag with the owner’s name and address when in public. If there is a tag, contact the owner.
- If there is no ID tag, you can:
- Share a photo of the dog to your local community facebook page. You can also message us with details and we can post information.
- report it to your local council’s dog warden. For Perth this is (during working hours) 01738 476476.
- Contact your local police station or call 101 if it is outside working hours.
- take it to a local vet. Some vets have out of hours numbers.
- take it to a local rescue centre. For Perth, you could try contacting the Perthshire Abandoned Dogs Society (PADS).
- All of these should be able to scan for a microchip.
- Please be aware that it’s against the law to keep a stray dog without contacting the owner or reporting it.
If you find an injured dog, contact the SSPCA’s emergency helpline on 03000 999 999. This is their website: Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals (SSPCA)
A stray dog collected by the dog warden is kept in holding kennels while they look for an owner. If the owner doesn’t reclaim the dog after 7 days, it will be rehomed. If you want to keep a dog that you have found, tell the dog warden when you report it. They may allow you to look after it while they search for an owner. If they cannot find an owner, they may let you keep the dog.
Stray cats
Unfortunately there are large populations of feral cats in Scotland. These can generally look after themselves but sometimes they need help. If you find a stray cat that looks like it needs help consider the following actions.
- Do not handle an aggressive or fearful cat if you might get scratched or bitten.
- Move the cat to a safe space if possible, for example, get the cat out of traffic if you can do so safely.
- If you can, take an injured or sick cat to the nearest Vets who will treat emergency stray cases without charging the finder.
- The Vets will scan for a microchip to check for owner contact details.
- Put a post on local Facebook groups to see if anyone is missing their pet. If you message our Facebook page we can put up a post as well.
- If you need on the spot advice, contact the SSPCA on 03000 999 999. This is their website: Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals (SSPCA)
- You can also contact your local Cats Protection branch who may give advice on rehoming or adoption. You can call the Perth branch on 01738 700 070. Their website is: Cats Protection Scotland
Support for animal care (PDSA)
If you have a pet that needs care but you can’t afford to pay for it, you may be able to get free and low cost veterinary care through the PSDA. This is the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals and is a Vet charity. To qualify for PDSA help you must be in receipt of certain benefits and live in the postcode catchment area of a PDSA Pet Hospital or Pet Care Scheme practice. Their website is: PDSA
Injured and ‘abandoned’ birds
Sometimes it can be hard to tell if a bird is injured or abandoned:
- If a young bird has most of its feathers and is on the ground, leave it alone. Its parents are usually nearby to feed it.
- If the bird has no feathers or fuzzy down, cannot move, or has obvious bleeding, broken bones, maggots or has been caught and injured by a cat or dog, it needs help.
- Do not touch dead or visibly sick wild birds due to the risk of avian flu.
Whilst it’s important to help injured birds it’s also very important that wild animals are not plucked from the wild unnecessarily. Do not attempt to rescue swans, geese, large birds of prey (such as buzzards) or herons.
If however, you believe it is safe to do so, you can help an injured bird as follows:
- Most birds will try and get away from you so, if possible, try to get it into a corner.
- If you can get someone to help, you can each approach from opposite sides.
- If you both hold a large towel, this can be used to block off any escape. Be aware of any possible danger areas such as roads where the bird may escape to.
- You could also try putting a pet carrier or cardboard box side up against one side of the corner and try to coax the bird in.
- Using a towel can help as it’s gentle for the bird and helps keep it calm.
- Always get the bird into a box as quickly as possible and keep the beak away from your face and be careful of the bird’s talons as they can be sharp.
- If you need to rescue an injured baby and there are protective parents around, use an umbrella to prevent the parents from getting to you or the bird.
- Bring the box or carrier inside if possible. Putting a box in a quiet, warm room (such as a shower cubicle can be good as it is usually quiet and away from pets. A garage or shed is also OK.
- Keep children and pets away and don’t try to stroke them as it will cause stress. Also don’t keep checking on them as that can also cause stress.
- Don’t give food or drink – if a bird is injured, and is in a quiet and dark place, they will usually sleep and do not need to eat or drink.
- Keep the animal warm and dry. Warmth is important, especially if the bird is wet or has been hit by a car. If you can, place a hot water bottle with warm (not hot) water in at one end of the box but give the bird room to move away if they get too hot).
- Get the bird to a wildlife rescue quickly (within a few hours). This is vital as it can make a difference between the animal living or dying. The SSPCA or RSPB have excellent advice on their websites.
Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are generally nocturnal animals and aren’t usually seen during the day. It is possible to sometimes see a hedgehog during the day and this might be a female who has had a litter. However if you find an injured hedgehog, there is some excellent advice on Hedgehog rescue. Within Perthshire we also have HogsCroft at Inchture. There is also Ballumbie Hedgehog rescue which is in Dundee.
Other wild animals
For any other injured wild animal such as foxes, badgers or deer, we recommend contacting the SSPCA and you should not attempt to take these in yourself.