Honestly, your heart is in the right place. But be careful that you don't become too attached.

Think of yourself as the person who lost the dog. How would you feel if your precious pet was recovered but not returned to you?  Exactly.…

Safety first
If you are driving and see a loose dog, react as calmly as possible. Slamming on the brakes could get you in an accident or scare the dog into running away or into traffic. If you are not in a situation where you can safely pull over near the animal, take note (or have a passenger take note) of where you saw the animal and either come back around and pull over safely or call animal control and give them as much detail as possible about where you spotted the animal.

You have the stray or lost dog—now what?
If the animal is safely approachable and friendly and you feel you can safely take her with you, entice her to come to your car with friendly commands or the promise of a treat. At this point, you can decide whether to take her to the local animal shelter or home with you.

If you decide to take her home, we still recommend swinging by the shelter first. If the dog is collarless or tagless, the shelter can scan her for an embedded microchip with the owners’ contact info. You can also ask there if anyone has reported the dog lost.

Most shelters will also keep a picture of the dog and your contact info in the event you take her home, in case the owners turn up looking for their pet.

Going the extra mile to help the stray or lost dog
If the shelter has released the animal into your care, you can follow some of the tips we outlined in “What to Do If Your Dog Goes Missing.”

You can post flyers, hit the Internet, whatever you can think of to get the word out to the dog’s family that their loved one is safe and sound and ready to come home.

Again, think about what you’d want someone to do if they found your dog.

Again, the stray dog you found isn't necessarily a cast off. We hear many stories of how a pet can be separated from its owner for some really silly but often accidental reasons. Make an honest effort to get Fido home then, when it happens, congratulate yourself on a job well done!

For more information please go to Cesar's Way, a wonderful website that can help you and the stray dog in your life.