I understand that you are angry about this little guy being out and roaming around but I have to say something in defense of how you found him~please don't take this wrong.
If you read the article in the link that I posted it discusses Xenophobic behaviors in lost pets. What is says is that some dogs are predisposition to this type of behavior and will give the appearance of being neglected. In reality they are just lost and frightened. I've seen and had dog that have been neglected and they were in much worse shape then this little guy. There are plenty of people who claim to be animal lovers but really do not know all there is to taking care of a dog. They do not know about dentals (like we all do), that neutering is best for their dogs, chipping etc. They just are not educated as well as all of us.
I also understand that if you look for his owner there is a legal amount of time that it must be done. If you already called the shelter they can tell you specifically what that amount of time is in your area. It might only be a week~then you could have him neutered and a dental done. Your other option would be to turn him over to a rescue in your area and that expense and also the responsibility of finding a good home would not fall upon you.
It will cost you several hundred dollars to do a neuter, dental, microchip, blood tests (HW and fecal) and vaccines for this little guy. You might consider YTNR who I believe has fosters in the WA area that might be able to help you. If you do decide to take this route let me know and I would be willing to help.
Its a huge responsibility to find a good home when trying to rehome a dog. To do it properly and assure that he goes to a FOREVER home that will treat him well (like your own
) there should be vet checks and a home visit which might be impossible being a private person and not a rescue. If I called someone (not rescue) and they said I want to come and look at your home I would tell them to take a leap~ya know.
I'm
NOT trying to discourage you from attempting to take on all of these suggestions just putting it out there so that you are informed of how much work this could be. There are a lot of people how only are looking for a check Yorkie and will do whatever necessary to "make you believe" they are good.
