Police advice when finding a lost dog....

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sonjafoers

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.....tie it to a tree!

Last week I found a terrier type dog running up a main road across the moors, he ran in front of my car and as I took a turn off he ran alongside me and tried to jump a cattle grid. He fell on his side in front of me so I picked him up (very friendly little boy) and spent about half an hour carrying him around the moor looking for an owner.

It was early in the morning as I was on the way to doing my horses so I eventually phoned the Police who told me they didn't deal with lost dogs and to phone the council but they weren't open until 9. I had 3 rotties in my car and needed to see to the horses so I asked what I could do with him as it would be difficult for me to keep him with me. The advise was if I had any rope in the car to tie him to a tree and then leave a message on the Dog Wardens phone telling them where it was so they could collect him when the office was open!

When I said that he would either strangle himself or be let off by someone else finding him they said it was still the best thing to do. Is it just me that's shocked by this or does it seem like good advice?

BTW i ended up walking him with my 3 (albeit on a lead) and then taking him home where he terrorised the cat, chased 3 rotties round the house and peed on my curtains. He was lovely though :D
 
Am shocked an appalled by this! This is why we all pay council tax innit, for officialdom to sit on its @rse and do sweet FA when there's a problem with an animal. There should be an out-of-hours telephone line which the police should have had in their control room?

If you did this to your own dog, the RSPCA would be after you big-time for "cruelty", but its OK apparently to do it to someone else's dog??

So if you find someone's horse loose, you do the same?

Or if a child gets separated from the parents, do the same?????
 
This is a real problem for me as a total animal lover, Police are now not allowed to take dogs it is the councils responsibility. There should be an out of hours number that is held in force control room for the council. In our case a local vets will take strays as dog warden only works 0800 - 1600. I have been in trouble numerous times at work because I will not turn away a dog and I always stop and grab strays! We do have kennels at the station but not supposed to use them and for the record I don't have it any easier trying to get the council to take them!
 
I know PiebaldPeril I was totally shocked when that's what she said, and just as surprised there was no out of hours number to call for the Dog Warden. The Police couldn't even find the number for the Dog Warden and gave me a number which was the local council offices switchboard - also closed!

I looked up the Dog Section when I got home & left a message on the answerphone at about 7.30 and they rang me back at about 9.30. It was difficult enough for me to bring him home during that time but it would have been impossible for some people.

Great service eh!
 
I found a staffie running along the road one night at 9pm, in the dark. I took him home and called the police. They told me to open the door and let him go, as he would find his way home ! I said are you kidding - it's pitch black and I live in the sticks, he will cause a traffic accident. Then he said I should keep the dog.

I told him I didn't want to keep it, which police station should I take it to - they had closed the kennels at the local nick, so I had to drive it an hour away, the kennels there, were being used for storage.

I know that now, the police don't accept dogs and you have to wait for the council to deal with it.
 
I was tempted to take him to a Police Station too BigRed but I know they wouldn't have done anything. Maybe they would have even let him go - Murphs_Mum do you know what would happen if lost dogs are taken to the local Police?

It is disgraceful really, if I'd tied him up someone else would have found him and maybe phoned the Police and the whole cycle would start again - surely this isn't an economic use of Police time let alone sensible.

It was all a bit of an eyeopener and to top it off I rang the kennels to find out the poor little bu**er is still unclaimed :(
 
If you took him to a station they would refuse to take him - there are posters all over our enquiry office saying that council deal with police. Any welfare issues are RSPCA. Such as abandoned dogs. Infuriating as it is :-(. However if you managed to just leave a dog in the enquiry office I guess the police would have to deal with it 
 
We had some similar lack of help when we found 2 dogs on xmas eve 2 years ago. It was snowing, they were freezing and very lost. We rang the police to see if anyone had reported them missing - they said no. After trying various options (this was nearing 4pm) we rang the local Dogs trust on the offchance someone had reported the dogs to them. Amazingly they had (the last place the owner's had rung) and we reunited them to the owners who lived in the next village. Turned out the dogs had escapedfrom the house at 3am that morning so had been out hours in the snow. It transpired the owners had indeed reported them to the police - gave descriptions etc. Fat lot of good that had done. Honestly, it was a joke. I think it's more the attitude and the fact they evidently are not bothered that is more frustrating than anything.
 
I found a poople puppy about 25yrs ago took it to the police station and then the next morning noticed a lost dog sign on the local shop notice board. Called the owner to them I thought I had found the dog and it was with the police (it had been missing 4 days), the police hadn't bothered to call her, so gord knows if they would have been reunited it I hadn't seen the poster.
 
Wow, I'm really surprised to hear this. I tried to find a local dog warden numberi n the past and found it impossible.

I was just told the other day how my sisters dog was apprehended by the police. He had escaped and they caught him as he was on the road and they took him to local station and held him there 'til my BIL went to pick him up.
 
Obvious thing that springs to mind is to take it to the vets to scan for chip, but then what do you do with it? Also, like you I would struggle as have my own with me all the time.

Do you have a local dog warden?
 
My local dog warden is apparantly 30 miles away so not that local really! However they did come and collect him eventually and took him to a rehoming centre about 10 miles from me.

I think as well as the lack of interest from the Police it was also the 'nuisance' factor - I know the poor little chap couldn't help it but I was trying to deal with 3 rotties, 4 horses, 5 stables cats and millions of chickens whilst having a manic terrier on a lead! It really was difficult. Then coupled with the fact I had to bring him home, segregate my cat and then wait 2 hours until the warden rang me & a further hour for them to turn up.

Ok I wasn't going to work or anything but I did have to cancel an appointment. It's just not on really and I'm sure it would have been impossible for some people to do if they had other commitments. Besides not everyone wants a strange dog in their house peeing up their dry clean only curtains :)
 
We found a JRT bitch in the middle of a thunderstorm about 2 miles from the nearest houseat about 2am on a sunday morning, she clearly had a litter of puppies waiting for her somwhere. Phoned the police and were told to let her loose where we found her.

She was taken home by another staff member who didnt have a DA GSD at home and reunited with her family later that day without the help of the police
 
PiebaldPeril said:
So if you find someone's horse loose, you do the same?
Click to expand...

Can I just say this is exactly what a farmer done to my friends horse, tied it to a gate!!!
She had went out a hack, got off to lead the horse across a small stream, horse decided that it wasn't happening and done a runner, admittedly the farmer was coming to look for the missing rider, however the other 2 horse riders that it gallopped past when questioned 'oh, we thought that was a deer', really with a saddle, bridle and reflective boots on!!!
Fortunately it was an old hunt horse and just stood tied up to the tree!!
 
We have a local dog warden 9-5pm (cause thats the only time dogs strayyy :rolleyes:)
Then afterwards we have a local private rescue, the guy is solid gold- and comes out right away any time and takes them :)

Equestrian Fairy had a similar problem last night, but no it isn't the police's place to take them, but the advice is pretty poor - rather give no advice than stupid advice!!!
 
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