abandend pet

Question
QUESTION: She does not have a name or an owner. She has been left by the side of the road by some abusive idiot  six months ago! but still Waits for him or her to come back for her.

She will not let any one get close to her ,she tucks her tail and runs the other way.She has endured the AZ summer and now the winter(which last week there was freezing weather) and now she is pregnant and about to pop. The biggest problem is she lives 4 ft. off an interstate with out a fence between her and the road. We have been feeding her for almost a year, we talk to her,but she will not run as fast from you if you do not look or talk to her.
we have to do something fast.

If you have any ideas please help her! She just does not trust anyone!

         Another pet lover

ANSWER: Due to the ergancy of the situation, I would suggest contacting animal control.

She needs to be trapped, for her sake and that of her unborn puppies.

Once this is accomplished, slow, gentle and consistent human presence, and a warm and safe place for her and her puppies, will help re-socialise her with humans.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We have tryed to get someone to come out but thy said that they are under staffed and unless she is already confined they will not come out.
We live at a rest stop about 60 miles from phoenix.

Answer
HI Donn:

That is a terrible shame, it would have been the best option for her and her pups.

Do they have a trap big enough, may be they could lend it to you.

The only other alternative, is to build her some sort of shelter from the elements, and hope that her nesting instinct will  make her use it when giving birth.

A large box, with a tunnel or zig zag entrance so the wind and rain/snow do not blow directly in.
Keep up the daily visits with food and water.  The hope is her mothering instinct will kick in and she will begin to trust you more for the sake of her puppies.

Once born say a week or so old, you may be able to move them and she will hopefully follow.

Feed her Puppy food as it has extra calories which will help build her strength for caring and feeding the puppies.

IT is very hard to re-build a human relationship with a feral dog, if that dog can not be contained in some way.

I wish you the best of luck, please do drop me a note, on how things go.

regards