Stray dogs are a risk to the entire community, themselves, people, other animals and their owners.
1. They may bite someone.
You may think your dog would
never bite anyone, but
you would be wrong. ANY animal with teeth has the
potential to bite. In the wrong situation any animal will
defend itself.
2. They may jump on someone, causing injury.
A dog playing may jump on a small child, knocking them
to the ground, causing physical damage, and their claws
are sharp and painful.
3. They may be hit by a car.
I have had to pick up a number of dogs that have been hit
by cars. It is one of the hardest things about this job. To
wrap a dog in a blanket, scoop them up and have them lay
their head on your shoulder and look at you with eyes that
say “Oh please, just help me!” breaks my heart. I have
rushed dogs to the vet to have them call me and say
“Sorry they didn’t make it”. It is such a senseless death.
4. Someone could pick them up.
Then you can always HOPE it was someone who will be
good to them.
5. Unless they are spayed or neutered, they are eventually
going to add to the unwanted pet population.
6. Stray dogs carry diseases that could possibly be passed
on to your pets. If an animal with internal parasites eats out
of your pet's food dish, they can pass these parasites on
to your pet. There are also a host of skin diseases that can
be passed from one animal to another.
7. They pass on Zoonotic Diseases. Zoonotic Diseases are
diseases spread from animals to people.
BELOW ARE A LIST OF ZOONOTIC DISEASES
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For more information on some of the zoonotic parasitic diseases, please click on the links below.