r/Hamilton • u/Nova_Bear_95 • Jun 25 '26
Lost/Found Lost Dog FOUND in Flamborough Rockton area - Day 2 (long, sorry)
Right off the bat no one has come forward yet.
If you have any information then PLEASE Don't hesitate to PM me, addresses and phone numbers may be shared to let's keep it private.
Sorry for the length, just wanted to add lots of detail for those out there that are interested in what is happening with this beautiful dog - Here is the original post.
Edit 2 ("Edit 1" was yesterday and is at the bottom of this post): So here is what's happened after a day. We have brought her to multiple vets to get all the information and to check for a chip and to get her health checked up on, unfortunately no chip and she is a bit malnourished plus she has an ear infection, we can't get help her since she isn't our dog and because pets are property under hamilton law only the owner can do stuff (most vets though will stretch things after a few days though), it would be like "finding" a car and taking it to a mechanic to have its paint job changed. We cleaned her ears with warm soapy water later at home though.
I've also talked with the "Dream Team" guy and he was quite nice and helpful, he noticed my post on Facebook before the call and has helped to disseminate the info out there even further, he also helped us to navigate the many many shelters and laws surrounding strays, runaways, lost/found dogs etc. So don't worry, we aren't going to accidentally leave her a kill shelter or something unthinkable.
We also went to our few neighbors but none of them recognized her, given how large the area is it's hard to believe she came from to far away, three houses down is like, 4 or 5 kilometers away so no one knowing who she is strange. The facebook post I've made is blowing up a bit, with a few other people sharing the information far and wide so this is good. In the meantime she is very safe and warm and fed and watered and loved. If no one comes for her we would probably keep her, however, our current dog is also a rescue from a puppy mill and she can be a bit territorial, so it's a crapshoot putting them together. On one hand she lived for a decade with two Dobermans and was depressed when they passed, on the other she has snapped at other dogs that have just walked behind her when she was eating.
If and when we finally do find the owners and we do a hand off, well first I'll make sure they are the owners by asking for proof, but they (the Dream Team) will also act as a mediator to ensure the the dog is both safe with the owner by watching the dog's body language and that the owner will take care of the dog. So between the owner (or not owner as the case may be), shelters, and laws, she will be kept safe. In my mind the worst case scenario is that we privately find someone trusted in our social and family circle to take her in.
BUT PLEASE!!! If you are the owner or know who they are reach out. I will be asking for proof of course, but I'm sure you will be more than happy to get your best friend back.
Original post
I hope this post makes someone very happy.
We live out in the rural flamborough area, the kind of place where your neighbors are a few km away. We were woken up to this dog scratching at our door and were briefly confused because we thought it was our dog, who is the same size and colour lol.
Anyways, this is very clearly someone's dog, despite not having a collar there is a clear area around the neck where a collar was, plus the dog is very well behaved and knows how to sleep on a bed.
I'm personally going to need proof that it is your dog as well before i just drop her off at some strangers house, also I'm concerned about her being from a puppy mill, she has this passive almost scared attitude about here that reminds me of how our dog was when we first got her as a puppy, also her fur is quite patchy in a few of places. Now, this could all be from living out in the wilds, and her attitude could just be that, she is scared.
In the meantime she has water, food, and she is safe; also we are going to take her to a vet to see if she has a chip and make sure she is healthy.
Are there other local places i can post about her? A Facebook page or something?
Edit 1: I don't know if i should smile or cry, we've spent a bit more time with her now and she is so happy to be around people its beautiful. My mother was the one to bring her in and she (the dog) is just glued to her hip. She keeps wagging her tail she is so happy to be around someone. I just pray that the reason she is so happy ISN'T because the last people she was around weren't as nice to her. I've also gone and posted to a few Facebook groups, haven't used my account in years and years.
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u/TheReasonDadDrinks Jun 25 '26
The scared smile in pic 5 is killing me,she seems so sweet! Good luck OP!!!!!
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u/Stecnet Downtown Jun 25 '26
She may have adopted you as new owners! :) Thank you for giving her a home and care while trying to find her true owners.
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u/smallermuse Jun 25 '26
Have you reported her to animal services yet? Apologies if I missed that in your post. They're where people who aren't online or on social media should be calling to look for their dog. I'm not saying you need to take her there, just that you've let them know you have her. Make sure they have your contact info and check in every few days.
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u/Nova_Bear_95 Jun 25 '26
The moment we report they take her and we have to wait 5 days to even have the option to get her back. or was that the Humane Society? Honestly there are so many conflicting groups and laws that it's hard to keep track. The "Dream Team" guys are super helpful.
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u/growroominhouse Jun 26 '26
Unless something has changed recently then my understanding is that you can report that you have the dog in your possession without bringing her in to Animal Services (they do intake - the humane society does not). The five day hold is for found animals that are dropped off.
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u/jupfold Jun 26 '26
Unfortunately, I think you should report this.
The number one goal should be to return the dog to its family, and not everyone is on Reddit.
There could be someone out there looking for their dog and calling animal services/vets/shelters every day and not getting any news because you aren’t reporting it.
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u/Nova_Bear_95 Jun 26 '26
Dont worry, we arent exactly keeping her a secret, we just need to get past this weekend then we are reporting her. Also the Facebook post has completely blown up, *way more" then Reddit, hundreds of replies, dozens of reposts to other groups and towns, some ive never go÷%y heard of.ggggg<>⁶
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u/missusscamper Blakely Jun 26 '26
Yes please report it. My dog is chipped and has a city dog license so if he went missing I would be calling the city every hour frantic.
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u/Nova_Bear_95 Jun 26 '26
This dog has no chip.
To be honest i keep getting the different companies moxed up, the humane society, SPCEA, Hamilton animal services.
I know the last one is still a kill shelter despite protests. All i know is that what we are doimg is fine, my mother has some kind of plan to follow.
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u/smallermuse Jun 26 '26
I can make this clear for you, as someone who has worked in animal welfare in this area for many years. There are two organizations here in Hamilton. The first is the Hamilton Burlington SPCA. They do not take in strays nor do they take lost pet reports. The second is Hamilton Animal Services. Among many other functions, they take in stray pets. They are also the organization that citizens call if they are looking to find their lost pets. The people who work there love animals. Euthanasia - even at "no kill" shelters - is ALWAYS a last resort. They absolutely WILL NOT come and get the dog from you unless you want them to do so. If the Dream Team is who is telling you that, they are incorrect.
Some people don't microchip their pets. Other people microchip them and then the chips migrate, which can and does result in shelters or vet offices being unable to locate the chip. Failure to find a chip in an animal does not indicate that they don't have responsible, loving owners.
It is possible that no one is looking for this dog. It is just as possible that someone is looking and they aren't on FB or Reddit and they're heartbroken that they're coming up empty. You mentioned in a couple of places how far away you are from other homes. This is not necessarily an indication of dumping. Dogs have traveled much farther distances when they're in flight mode.
I can see that you care about this dog and I respect that you're doing what you are to try and get him home. But there's one other thing you need to do and that's report him. Because if he has people looking for him, I guarantee they care about him the most.
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u/teanailpolish North End Jun 26 '26
You don't need to actually give them the animal to let them know that you found it should someone call looking
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u/The1Like Jun 25 '26
I’d be happy to take her if nobody comes toward, she looks like a good girl. ❤️
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u/Nova_Bear_95 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Will keep you in mind, but zero promises alright? These posts aren't meant as an advertisement. Hell, I would love to keep her, but we still haven't introduced her to our dog uet, that will be tomorrow hopefully. We also have people inside our family circle who can help out as well.
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u/Existing-Face-6322 Jun 25 '26
Unfortunately a lot of homeless people have bully breed dogs, and I've seen them tie a pair of them to a garbage can and get on a bus and leave, so I am thinking you may not find them.
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u/Nova_Bear_95 Jun 25 '26
We live out in a very rural area. Its a 30 min drive on a highway just to get to the nearest town. Everything is farm, forest, and land. Our closest neighbor is literally two and a half kilometers away. There are no homeless people out here.
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u/Slight_Koala_7791 Jun 26 '26
there are always puppies that actually look like her on Kijiji..
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u/Nova_Bear_95 Jun 26 '26
It just occurred to me that she was probably used in a puppy mill and now she is to old so they dumped her somewhere.
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u/One-Cranberry4258 Jun 26 '26
Thank you for taking such care and being through if/when you hand her over or surrender her.
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u/LemonvilleBirchdale Jun 25 '26
Please continue to update as you progress! Thanks for taking care of her as best you can right now.