Eek - Animal warden.co.uk - £94 bill for lost dog!

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DuckToller

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I am looking after a friend's two JRs over xmas, and last night we went out for a few hours. Came home to find one JR missing. We drove round to his owner's home which is about half a mile away, then to their yard, back to their home, back here, walked round the field at midnight calling, then went to bed very worried. Didn't ring council dog warden as it was so late last night and didn't think they worked then, but rang first thing. Got directed to animal warden people, who had him on their very efficient list, but then was told it was £94 to get him back - yikes. It's going to be an expensive holiday for them.

Looking on the bright side, at least he is safe although bound to be traumatised as he is a nervous little chap. He was picked up by a member of the public only yards from his home. He must have gone out of our dog flap and found a way out of our back garden to make his way home.

So do I block up the dog flap for the rest of the week, or take him home and leave him there (he has a secure garden and dog flap into a large porch area) and just pop round to feed and walk him? Don't want them to have hundreds of pounds of fees to pay just after xmas :(
 
Poor little lad, I think I would block up the dog flap and only take him out on lead/under close supervision. Tbh if I was in your situation I think I would pay the dog warden fee, after all it was you that lost him, sorry.
 
Yikes, heart-attack city! Don't imagine you got much sleep that night! :eek: Glad he's safe.

I'd be blocking up your dog flap and keep him where you can keep an eye on him for now, but others may have a better solution.

Out of interest, do you have an agreement with the owners over who paysfor his sort of thing? I've done a bit of dog/house sitting and I know that if it was a dog I was looking after, and he got lost in my care then I'd be the one paying the fees for getting him back. Not a nice thing to think about, but maybe you could offer to contribute to the costs? Just something to think about.
 
I think I would offer to pay as you were looking after him. If it was my dog and the dog sitter lost him I would expect them to pay. Sorry.
 
EAST KENT said:
Happens all the time,dogs "lost" out of carelessness because the owners are too tight to pay for a decent boarding kennel.:mad:
Click to expand...

Four phone calls so far this holiday when this has happened. Why do people think any kennel gets dogs handed in?

To the OP - why wasn't the dog wearing a collar & tag with your details?
 
Presumably the OP is looking after the dog as a favour to her friends and is not looking after the dogs as part of a business? I think it's a bit tough to expect her to pay the bill.
 
Yes am looking after them as a favour as I offered and I walk them occasionally anyway and they know me really well. I have had them before for the odd weekend and he has never run home before. Wasn't really too worried about the £94 as I know they will be mortified that he ran off and caused us all angst and will insist on paying (not rung them as didn't want to spoil their holiday until I knew he was ok). Still not sure how he got out of our garden but as someone said above, a determined JR can probably dig under any fence. I am just shocked that it costs £94 but then I am mean :)

BTW he was wearing a collar with a phone number and he is microchipped, but maybe the person that found him couldn't read it in the dark? If they had got through to the number on the tag, friend would have rung me straight away so sounds like no-one has tried. Unless tag is scratched or he lost it escaping? He is being delivered home to us in about an hour so will see. Hope for the £94 he has been fed, watered, bathed, groomed and had a nail trim :) :) Just joking, am sure they do a sterling job and am relieved he is safe and well. Looking for a lump of mdf now to nail over dog flap.
 
Sorry but I have no problem with the authorities charging these amounts to retrieve stray dogs, it helps towards making people responsible about owning/caring for dogs and helps stop people 'allowing' their dogs to roam and not be under control. I'm glad it worked out and you got the dog back.
 
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If he had had the correct details on his collar the dog warden would have brought him back -no charge.

Just be glad he was handed in and didn't go under a car.
 
That also explains why a lot of dogs simply do not get collected. I am not critisizing the fee - far from it, but very often in rescues you hear that the owners were contacted and could not bothered to collect - or perhaps after reading your post and understand the fees, could not be bothered to pay. We have had recourse to thank the warden when my BILs boy staffie went off after a pheasant and didn't come back. It was 5 hours later the warden came back to us saying they had him. He had been rescued by a farmer whose sheep were herding him (yes you read right, sheep were herding him - he was a puppy who was heavily socialised!)

Glad the dog is safe and sound anyway.
 
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