Gone are the days when you could find a dog wandering the neighborhood, take him home, and ask your mom if was OK to keep him. Today's "lost dog" is afforded state and county protection that requires the finder to jump through hoops, making a good-faith effort to locate the owners.

The well-publicized plan for the City of Portland to move out more than 500 homeless campers along the Springwater Corridor has brought the issue into the news as dogs have been found abandoned along the trail.

Neighbors say campers in a hurry to clear out (the deadline to move has since been extended into September) have left most of their belongings behind, sometimes including their pets.

Two women who live in a rented house along the Springwater Corridor have seen an uptick in the amount of dumped, homeless or lost dogs in their neighborhood near Lents Park, they told KGW. KGW reports the women in the story are "on a mission" to rescue and re-home dogs found along the trail.

But well-intentioned citizens should understand the law before taking on dogs that appear to be abandoned or lost.

Randall Brown, chief field supervisor for Multnomah County Animal Services, said he's seen a few dogs brought to the shelter that might be from the corridor. Brown tried earlier in the week to reach out Diamond Cut Loyalty Canine Rescue & Pit Bull Rehabilitation briefly named in the video, but has not had a response.

"We want this done the right way, and county ordinance requires it," Brown said.

Brown would like to communicate with anyone hoping to rescue dogs left along the corridor and says they need to consider that the dog could just be escaped from a backyard a few blocks from home, stolen from its original home, or lost. The first step, for anyone who finds a lost, abandoned or otherwise unattended dog is to contact county animal services for the county in which the dog was found. It's not a suggestion, it's the law.

The easiest and best option is to turn in a dog during shelter hours. At that point, the finder's responsibility ends. County shelters have the ability to check a dog for microchips, licenses, former owner records, and to network with other counties and shelters to reunite pets with owners. Also, most people who are seeking their lost dog will check area shelters first.

For those who choose to shelter a found dog in their home until the owner is located, the list of requirements varies slightly from county to county, but Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties all require a lengthy list of steps prior to the finder becoming the new owner of the dog.

These steps include reporting the pet to the county immediately either via an online form or by phone. Other steps include posting the dog as "found" in local media outlets and on social media sites, and then allowing 90 days for the owner to claim the dog.

County rules do not change for dogs who aren't licensed or for owners who don't have a permanent residence, such as campers along the corridor. County rules follow Oregon State law regarding "found property" as described here: http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/98.005

Given that dogs belonging to homeless or campers might not be microchipped or licensed, some might believe that this negates their rights as pet owners, but it doesn't. Brown said that it can be tricky, sometimes, to verify ownership of a dog that has not been registered, microchipped or doesn't have veterinary records.

"We do run into these situations," Brown said. Some proof that can help would be pictures of the dog and family or friends who can vouch for the owner. The verification process can take much longer without proper documentation, but it can be done.

If a person finds a dog and elects to foster it until the 90-day period has ended, anyone stepping up to claim the dog would do so through the county, and not contact the finder directly.

Also, if a valid owner steps up to claim a lost dog that's not been properly advertised and steps have not been taken to find the owner, the best case scenario is the sheltering person loses a dog they might have become attached to. The worst case, according to Randall Covey, the Washington County Animal Services Field Supervisor, is the finder could be charged with felony pet theft.

--Rosemarie Stein

rstein@oregonian.com

503-221-4376

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