We are often contacted by people that have found a stray and want to surrender the dog right away. If you find a lab or a lab finds you here are some hints to find his/her owner. As a rule we cannot take a new found stray into our program, state laws require waiting periods before strays can be rehomed. If you have exhausted all resources please fill out our placement questionnaire and we will contact you. At this time we do not have the resources to take in all strays and shelter dogs. We are very limited on foster homes and cannot offer any type of short term foster for strays. Here is a list of things you can do to help the dog:

  • Attempt to find the dog's owner by having the dog checked for a microchip, your local vet, humane society, or animal shelter can do this at no charge.
  • Contact local vets, shelters, and rescue groups to see if any one has reported the dog missing. Most vets, shelters, rescue groups, and human society's will allow you to place found signs. If you email us we will be happy to place the dog on our Facebook page.
  • Print up and place fliers all over a large area surrounding the area the dog was found in. A dog can travel several miles in very little time.
  • Place a found ad in the newspaper(s) in the area the dog was found in. Usually run free of charge!


    If, after all of the above has been exhausted, and the owner is not located, try to find a responsible home for the dog. At this time you may also fill out and submit our placement questionnaire at http://www.labrescuenc.org/placement.html for assistance in placing the dog as long as it looks like a purebred Lab. (Proof of found ad having been run in newspaper may be required.) If you cannot keep the dog while trying to locate its owner, you should either:

  • try to board the dog at a vet or boarding facility
  • turn the dog over to the animal shelter, ASPCA, or humane society (which is where most people who lose a pet will look).

    If you place the dog with a shelter, let us know. We have relationships with most shelters and if the dog is not reclaimed and placed for adoption we will be contacted once the dog is in danger of euthanasia.

    Please take the dog to a shelter if you are unable to care for him/her, letting a dog continue to be stray is much worse and more dangerous than being in a shelter.