“Unknown”
Breed: Terrier Mix
Sex: Male Age: Young Adult
Collar/Tags: Thin brown collar with blueish pattern
Found on: April 20, 2012
Area: East Chezzetcook Rd, Exit 21, East Chezzetcook, HRM, NS
Additional Info: FOUND DOG: East Chezzetcook/ East Chezzetcook Rd. Exit 21/ HRM. MALE: Terrier mix, wearing a thin brown collar with a blue. Friendly and social. Please cross post. Found April 20/12 approx. 7:30 pm. If you know anyone missing a dog of this description please notify Danette @ 877-0332. Thanks to Danette for keeping this dog out of harms way.
Please Contact: Danette at 877-0332
We cleaned him up… Very smelly with a lot of matted fur. Much better now. We are taking him to the Homeward Bound City Pound today. They, along with us, will try to find his rightful home. If we are unsuccessful, we will just keep him. So no matter how it plays out, this will all work out fine for him.
We went to the City Pound today. We were told that if we leave him, after 72 hours if nobody claims him then his ownership transfers to the city. We said that we could keep him at the house and if anyone contacts Animal Control, then we could meet with the owners and give him back. Apparently that’s just crazy talk. We would have to leave him at the pound, where he would be in a cage for 72 hours, then they would temperment test him and make arrangements to have him neutered and vaccinated. This process would take an additional week to ten days… Also in a cage at the pound.
At that point, we could apply to adopt him, pay the 215$ and take him back. Well that too is crazy talk.
We have the whole neighborhood looking and talking about whose dog this might be. Whomever they are, the dog was hungry, scared, matted and smelly. We talked to a groomer, he is really dirty and does not appear to have been cared for. Nobody around here has ever seen him before. We posit that he was brought from the city and abandoned here in the country as he appears to be well fed, just neglected.
So to make a long story even longer, as we would be frantically trying to locate our other two dogs (who wear full ID with names and phone numbers) if they were lost, we are left to assume the worst. So… In that vein, the dog that our rescue dog rescued, is still with us and the previous owners are on the clock. 48 hours more and we will be keeping him.
Does that mean if ever I find a dog and notify the city pound to see if they’ve heard of anyone who has lost a dog, would they tell me that I have to bring him into their custody? that I would not be able to keep him in the meantime while the owner is found?
Where is the dog now with you? or at the pound? so after 72 hours if no one claims him, you get to keep him? but if he were to be left now at the pound then after the 72 hours he’d be the city’s property, and if someone wants to adopt him they have to pay for neutering and vacination and other stuff to the tune of 200+dollars? and the dog would have to be in a cage in the meantime while all of that is going on??? jeesh,, this is confusing. I don’t think I could ever drop off a dog at the pound then, if that’s what it would mean. What if no one adopted him, and paid the fee etc… how long would they keep the dog? would they eventually put him to death??? what would happen if no one adopted a dog? And if I were to find a lost dog, and call the city pound to see if they’ve had any reports to their office, would I be obligated by law to drop off the lost dog at the pound? God, I hope not.
Hi Mariette,
Those are a lot of questions, but lets see if I can offer you some clarification. First of all, every municipality is different. But, yes, most have a 72 hour law, usually business days, but some are different. The reason for that is to cut costs for the care of the animal while in their custody. Let’s face it, a majority of dog loving owners would call Animal Services with 72 hours of losing their dog. Though, there are always exceptions to this rule and unforeseen circumstances. One has to consider just how many dogs actually go through the city pound… something we don’t always want to face. There are a lot of unwanted dogs. Sigh! Basically, the idea is to keep them out of the kennels and moving through the system quickly to end up in a loving home, whether their original or their next one. A kennel where they are warm, dry, fed, watered, and provided vet care is so much better than running on the streets. Oh, I’m not saying I wouldn’t want changes made or that everything is hunky dory, but it is definitely better than roaming free and getting injured, or starving to death.
As I understand it, they can not demand that you give them a lost dog. But, remember, if a dog has been purposely left behind on the streets of some neighbourhood, or is found in bad condition due to poor care, or … well it goes on and on… It is through the Municipalities Animal Control that owners can be found and made to account for this animals condition. As well as through the SPCA, cruelty investigations. But, AC can not follow up on this if the dog is in your care. It has to be in their custody.
Again, every municipality is different, but I know that in Halifax, and many others they use a “No-Kill” mentality. Meaning if the dog is healthy, physically/mentally, at any age, they are not put to sleep. After the 72 hours in Halifax, the dog is technically handed over to Homeward Bound City Pound (Same place as AC, but private business with AC’s contract) to re-home. That may include sending a dog to rehabilitate through a local Rescue Group and in Foster Care (in a home). Unfortunately, we do not have the numbers to back any of this up, but this is the premise they are going by as we know it.
And one last note. As a way to help stop the spread of stray dogs, dumped dogs, unwanted dogs, all dogs that leave a shelter must be neutered or spayed. A logical step towards reducing the population of unwanted dogs. This is usually done at a great savings to you, along with all vaccinations and any emergency healthcare that was required. Dogs, and all pets are not cheap to care for, whether it’s vetting, training, or feeding. So actually the $200 is a savings to you or should be if you plan on giving the care that is required to own a dog. Sometimes, we don’t actually sit down and work out how much it costs to own a pet. It can be shocking, but worth every penny.
I hope this helps you understand the ‘system’ and that you would at least consider reporting a found dog to Animal Control as that is the first place most folks report missing pets. It’s not perfect, and there needs to be some changes, but I don’t think it is as horrible as you might have thought.
Sincerely,
Ann Morrison
NS Lost Dog Network
Ann Morrison, thank you very much for taking the time to clarify things for me.
Well we found (were found by) the owners. Thanks to FB and the Internet. They live across the street at the end of our driveway. “Charlie” was just picked up and is now back where he started… Two days, four meals, two baths and a new collar later! Hope he does well.