stray dog
Ownerless street canine
A stray dog is a domestic dog living without an owner—lost, abandoned, or born on the streets.
Unlike feral dogs, strays are typically socialized to humans and may seek food or shelter near people: A stray dog followed her home from the park.
The phrase can describe someone rootless or unattached: He wandered through his twenties like a stray dog.
- muttMixed-breed dog
- mongrelDog of mixed ancestry
- curContemptible beast or person
- abandonedLeft behind completely
- orphanChild whose parents died
humane society · animal rescue · canine · dognapping · shelter · scavenger · lost · good boy · resilience · underdog story · animal · pack behavior · mangy · lonely · sad eyes · roaming · free roaming · howling
- lost thingslost keys, lost wallet, lost phone, lost luggage, lost passport
- stray animalsferal cat, feral kitten, street cat, alley cat, community cat
- dogsbeagle, bulldog, boxer, collie, poodle
- canineswolf, fox, jackal, dingo, coyote
- small townmayor, town square, council, general store, diner
- urban wildlifepigeon, house mouse, brown rat, house sparrow, rat
ownership status
stray doghouse dog
Canine kept indoors
family dog · pet · companion animal · purebred dog · show dog
dog, stray, dogs, dogged, strayed, straying, strays, doggerel, dogging