Stray dogs: a cautionary tale!

michelefauk

Just to tell people the unbelievable experience I had this week with a stray dog!
On Wednesday evening there was a knock on my door and a couple of the teenage lads in our street said that there was a stray dog running about and did I know whose it was. It had no collar on. I had never seen the dog before, but could see that someone needed to do something as the dog was running up and down the road and was in danger of getting run over. My neighbour grabbed her dogs collar and lead and came over to help, she put the dog on the lead and held it on my front garden while I rang the local vets. They could not help but gave me the number for the council dog wardens our of hours service. I phoned them, was on hold for 20 mins, then explained the situation and could someone come and collect this dog.

The woman on the other end of the phone told me that the dog wardens only work until 4 pm (it was about 6.30pm) I said again that someone needed to come and collect the dog from my front garden! She then told me that I had 2 choices, either keep the dog in my house overnight and someone would collect it at some stage the following day, or I could drive the dog to a kennels 20 miles away!

I am sorry, I told her but I am not keeping the dog overnight, I have a young child and cats, so not an option, neither is taking it to a kennels as I had no car. The woman was adamant I had to to do one or the other, I said fine, I will just let the dog go off the lead back out onto the street then if nobody will collect it, she then told me that as the dog was now my responsibility, I would be liable if it got knocked over or bit someone! But it's not my dog! She said because I had put a collar and lead on it and was holding it outside my house, it was my responsibility whether I liked it or not!

I was nearly in tears with frustration by this stage. The woman hung up on me, and in desperation I called the police, described the dog to them, they recognised it as a possible dangerous dog breed and promised to come and collect it within the next couple of hours, but to keep it away from any children in the meantime!

In the end, an hour or so later a couple came past, recognised the dog as their neighbour's, it is left in the garden all day and is prone to escaping, they took it back and I called the police again with the update, they said that they will be visiting the dog's owner.

I was absolutely staggered by the attitude of the dog warden, and would never again try and help or get involved, and would advise anyone else the same.

gettingready

I can see why you are upset but the attitude of a dog warden would not put me off trying to help some poor animal if the animal was in need.

Police "recognising as dangerous breed" just frm a phone call descrip[tion is total nonsense. The poor dog allowed strangers to get close and put a lead and collar on, how dangerous could it be? Poor thing was just lost, it happens, not his/her fault.

Good he/she is safe, hopefully someone talks to the owners about securing their garden...

michelefauk

"Police "recognising as dangerous breed" just frm a phone call description is total nonsense." I'm afraid that is not nonsense, that is exactly what happened, the police asked me to describe what the dog looked like, and asked various questions about it, then went away to look something up and came back to say that it was possibly a "dangerous dog", their words not mine! The dog was fine while we were looking after it, but needless to say I still did not want it in my house overnight.

mirrorimage0

i think the above poster meant it was nonsense the police should of thought that from a phonecall, not that you were talking nonsense lol. well done to you for trying to help out. x

heretolearn_2

to be fair though, most councils only have one dog warden. You can't expect one person to provide a 24/7 service, can you.

I also don't think you should be expected to keep the dog. Glad the police took it for you.

jhe

a few years ago a what turned out to be a lost dog (no collar or tag on) parked itself in my porchway,seemed a lovely natured dog but only young and boisterous had a dog myself that would not accept other dogs in the house and had young children at the time,rang the local council and police got told the dog wardens were not on duty and nothing could be done, explained to them i live less than half a mile from a major road and if the dog was to go onto the road it could cause a major accident and asked them to record the fact i had reported the dog and my concerns, they sent someone out early evening to collect it and take it to the local kennels, turned out the dog came from a house around 2 mile away from me

Mojisola

heretolearn wrote: »

to be fair though, most councils only have one dog warden. You can't expect one person to provide a 24/7 service, can you.

Talk to your local councillor about this.

Our council has an arrangement with one of the local rehoming centres. They will come and collect a stray at any time.

vax2002

A family in Leeds took a stray pitbull/staffy/mastif dog in from the street, it mauled the boy in the house without warning after staying for 4 days.
I know this is rare, but how would you know you had not taken a serpent in.
I suppose if its a jack Russell, then you need a box of plasters if it goes wrong, but a large fighting dog type breed and you could need an undertaker.

hethmar

In fact there should be a service 24/7 and they should have been able to give you an out of office hours phone number.

I would telephone your council and ask them about this and make a complaint.

hethmar

heretolearn wrote: »

to be fair though, most councils only have one dog warden. You can't expect one person to provide a 24/7 service, can you.

I also don't think you should be expected to keep the dog. Glad the police took it for you.

There should be an out of hours service available.

Oh, the police didnt take it, the dog was reclaimed by neighbours of the owners apparently.

suki1964

vax2002 wrote: »

A family in Leeds took a stray pitbull/staffy/mastif dog in from the street, it mauled the boy in the house without warning after staying for 4 days.
I know this is rare, but how would you know you had not taken a serpent in.
I suppose if its a jack Russell, then you need a box of plasters if it goes wrong, but a large fighting dog type breed and you could need an undertaker.

And in those four days there was no dog warden on call or they themselves couldnt have delivered it to the pound???

I know you are reporting the story but it amazes me sometimes how bloody stupid people can be, I wouldnt leave my own GS and dog alone together for two mins let alone bring a srange dog into the house