Hints for finding Fido's lost owner

Dear Heloise: I found two stray dogs on the side of the road, and I didn't know if they belonged to anyone. So, I was wondering if there was anything that I could do. I called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in my area, and they couldn't do anything. If you could give me a few suggestions, that would be great! — Ann, via e-mail

I'll be happy to share some hints with you and others who want to do the right thing for our animal friends.

Thank you for "going the extra mile" to get these dogs away from a roadway, where they easily could have been hit by a car.

• Post signs with a picture(s) around neighborhoods, convenience stores, etc., in the area surrounding where the dogs were found. Be sure to include contact information.

• Check with veterinarians and shelters to see if they have any lost-pet posters or reports that might match.

• Also, have a vet scan the dogs for a microchip, if you can.

• If either was wearing a collar with tags (even old tags), the veterinarian's office listed on that tag might be able to help you with your search.

• Place a "found" ad in your newspaper, and be sure to check the "lost" pet ads often.

• There are also pet-finder and lost-and-found pet Web sites where you can give a report of animals and where they were found. These reports are compared with lost-pet reports to see if there is a match. If so, an e-mail is sent out, and owner and pet are hopefully and happily reunited.

Good luck, and let me know when you are able to find their homes! "Woof, woof" from Cabbie, our mini-schnauzer, for trying to help out. — Heloise

Dear Readers: Doyle Wells of San Antonio sent a photo of his white poodle (no name given) donning a pair of glasses to study a book about attaining wealth. Doyle says, "Since we are getting older, she is going to help us with our real-estate investments." — Heloise

Dear Heloise: I keep the dry dog food for our schnauzer, pug and English bulldog puppy in plastic containers to keep the puppy from chewing through the food bags. When the pet-food recall was announced, I realized that because I throw the food bags away after pouring the contents into the containers, I had no idea if our foods were involved in the recall(s).

When it was time to load the containers again, I cut out both the UPC and the date codes, and put them in the plastic bins. If another recall happens, I will have easy access to these codes. — Karen Brown, Gastonia, N.C.

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