Sometime ago I posted what to do if you find a lost dog. Today I found out that there is another option.

Tips on How To Report a Lost or Found Pet

About 9:30 Saturday morning a Border Collie turned up on our driveway. He had a collar, but no id tag. I didn't know the dog, but thought he might be from the area, so we tried to call both vets nearby, no one answered. We called the Tierschutz in our Kanton and they said we could bring the dog to the shelter. We just were not comfortable transporting the dog who was so friendly but still nervous so we called the "TierRettungsDienst".

www.tierrettungsdienst.ch
They have a 24 hour number 044 211 22 22

They said someone would come with a microchip reader, so we waited with the dog. In the meantime we asked everyone who passed our house if they knew who the dog belonged to and we called all possible leads but it wasn't anyone.

When the volunteer from the Tierrettungsdienst arrived, she too commented on what a lovely dog he was, and that surely he belongs to someone. Fortunately he had microchip, and she then called ANIS in Bern and they contacted the owner, gave her the details as to where the dog was found and so we all waited for her. We also found out his name.

The owner is a farmer in our village, but quite outside the village centre where we live. She said she knew the dog had wandered off but he often does and then comes back she says. She thanked us for helping but wasn't too happy to hear she would be getting a bill from the Tierrettungsdienst for 45 chf. She didn't have to pay on the spot (she said she forgot her wallet) but they will send her an invoice.

I think she should consider herself lucky as had we involved the Tierschutz, the fine is much heavier.

I understand that many farmers do not fence their properties to keep their dogs from running off but it seems to me the biggest danger to a dog running off is cars. Although the dog was castrated, the owner said he must have run off as he smelled a female dog in heat.

It wouldn't surprise me if the dog shows up again. We seem to have a knack for attracting dogs that run off. During this entire episode our 3 dogs were barking at the window very excited at the prospect of having a new friend.

We have a good reputation in the village. Not too long ago we waited in the pouring rain for someone to come and deal with a cow that strayed out of the electric fence enclosure. The cow was very near the main road. Cars just kept driving by. We stopped. Since then, every farmer that I see gives me a big wave. Surely others saw this dog walking alone this morning but never stopped. Everyone today is busy, but you should never be too busy to take the time to care about someone or something else.

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Good for you for helping, Mrs D!

I worry about the number of 'latch-key' dogs I see here. Perhaps because people are more or less used to seeing farm dogs roaming free out here 'auf dem land', there seems to be less awareness / willingness to stop and help a dog who really is lost and wandering. The collie was lucky to have found you!

The Tierrettungsdienst folks are a very good group - and certainly worthy of support.

Melancolli and Mrs D: You seem to provide an wealth of knowledge on the subject of pets regulalry. I wonder, if perhaps some of this stuff could be compiled into a series of seperate posts and made into stickies??

What I mean is for example a mini guide "what to do in a pet emergency" covering, lost pets, found pets, injured pets etc with a list of the most useful numbers..

Just an idea...

And a brilliant one at that. There was a Thread about looking for a vet in an emergency but I cannot remember where... and one about the new dog courses... and where was that? and wasn't there one about all the paperwork needed to import a canine friend?
Even one sticky with links to the very good posts already in the Pet Forum would be a terrific help as long as it was made quite clear which link was which.
How to find a vet in an emergency. (Zürich area)
And now someone has to get down to work! Good luck with the project!

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Longbyt

Our garden is fenced but the fox digs a hole which we stop up in a never ending cycle. Occasionally we're not fast enough and our border collie does a houdini. They're a very smart breed! Normally we're able to track him down ourselves but one time some folks found him and handed him to the Police who traced us through the chip. Didn't cost me a penny but I'd happily pay 45 francs to get him back plus a good bottle of vino for the kind folks who looked after him and made sure he was safe and sound.

I guess you were really lucky. We had dog tags made for our dogs. The tags attach to their regular collar with a ring. On the tag we printed their names and their contact details. I have seen this product available for ordering at pet shops and also Mister Minit. It is about 20 chf per tag for the middle size. This kind of tag makes it that much easier for someone who finds a dog to contact the owner. Years ago, before micro chips were obligatory, dogs had a dog tag with their address and owner's details.

It also helps when the dogs stay at the kennels...just so they know who is who

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The one comment I would add with the dog tag with phone number is that the phone number should be the mobile number.

If the whole family is out looking for the truant, no one is home to answer the phone when the good Samaritan calls. Can add hours to the process.

Good point!

I think this would be very helpful and a real asset to this new forum area! No doubt melloncolie and Mrs Doolittle have a good idea already about which questions are popular

Thank you for this post Mrs. Doolittle - was helpful to me today in 2022!

I had an interesting start of the year, when a rather large dog turned up in my backyard today afternoon. After a few mins it was clear that the dog seemed lost (he had a collar tag). I was not too sure what to do and a quick search led me to this old thread.

I called up TierRettungsDienst (animal rescue service) using the 24 hrs helpline (044 211 22 22). They asked my address, name, and asked me to try to ensure that the dog does not run away on the road and that someone would arrive to the address in 30 mins.

I am not a dog-owner myself (not yet in CH, sadly) but my parents have always had a dog so I am comfortable around them and also like them. As the dog was large and in distress, I was still a bit cautious and offered him some water to make him a bit calm. Meanwhile, a neighbor from the next building was also outside and told me that they had also called the police. The police arrived soon and tried to leash the dog for the next 20 mins or so. They brought with them dog treats, leash etc.; The animal rescue service also arrived soon. Eventually after 15 more mins or so they were able to lure the dog and put a leash and take him to the animal rescue van and read the tag on the collar. They thanked me; I on the other hand was happy with how they treated the dog, and the efficiency and overall awareness with which they handled the whole situation