Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue cannot legally take in a stray/abandoned animal. As a licensed rescue group we can only pull them from a county animal control facility once their mandated stray hold time is up.

If you find a stray animal that does not have a collar with rabies tag or contact information, you should have it scanned for a microchip.  Scanners are available at most veterinary offices and some pet stores. If there is a rabies tag the veterinarian’s number will be listed and the vet can help find the owner. If there is no microchip or the chip does not provide a way to contact the owner, we strongly recommend you take it to the county animal control facility in the county where it was found.

There are many reasons why a dog or cat ends up as a stray and you cannot judge based on the animal’s condition. Not everyone is on social media and able to see Found Dog posts.  Many people look first to animal control to find their beloved lost pets.  The mandatory stray hold times differ between the counties: Cherokee County – 72 hours; Cobb County – seven days; Paulding County – three days.

We've seen and heard first-hand about so many different situations. From angry ex-spouses and roommates dumping dogs as revenge, to people with good intentions who pick up a stray and then let it go miles away from where it was found. 

You should also post on all available online pages (see suggested list of sites to post in the “What to do if your dog or cat is lost” section on our website), post signs in the area where found and do everything possible to find the owners. 

Here is an example of why it is so important to give animal control a chance to reunite the stray with its rightful owner.  In March 2017 two Mostly Mutts volunteers found a Pekingese mix running in the middle of Cherokee Street in Kennesaw near the railroad tracks and Frozen Cow Ice Cream store. They stopped to pick it up, scanned it at the shelter and it did have a chip. Sadly, the telephone number registered to the chip was no longer in service.  Mostly Mutts did the right thing and turned the dog over to Cobb Animal Control. We put our name on her and were ready to pick her up after the stray hold if not reclaimed.

This is what happened next. Cobb County Animal Control was able to trace the chip further and it turns out that the dog was STOLEN 6 years ago from an owner who lived in the immediate area of our facility. They had looked long and hard for their beloved dog and had eventually lost hope. They moved to Paulding County and knew they would never see their pup again. This family was moved to tears to hear that their family member had been found and reclaimed her immediately.

Please follow the law and don't pass judgment. You will probably never know the REAL story of how the animal became a stray. The stray animal’s best chance to be reunited with its owner is to be taken to animal control.