Over the Gate

super · Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 165 Location: Wildest West

Yesterday lunchtime I was sorting out some young fish I had bred ready to move them to their growing on tank.
It was raining on and off so I was sitting in the barn concentrating hard to make sure the fish fry didn't get sifted into the lake bucket!

Our schnauzers were rummaging around in another part of the buildings when suddenly two terriers came charging in, puffing and panting, stinking of cattle poop and covered with wet mud on their legs and underbellies.

One was a castrated male young adult and the other a young bitch pup would say around 6 - 9 months or so.

The dog had a collar but with no details the bitch pup had nothing.

They were very people orientated and I ended up wearing them as they decided I was the best thing since sliced bread and they needed to stick their tongues all over me, and the mud and eau de cattle poopsie fragrance was carefully gifted to me all over my jacket!

As my neighbour had a sheep killed and left with its throat torn open last week I decided to put these two whipper snappers in a cage (which was great fun trying to keep my girls at a distance, and the cats whose backs were up like witches cats by this time).

This was around lunchtime, and I was expecting that someone would be heard shouting their dogs or be seen searching the area but there was nothing and nobody came.

I phoned my neighbour who knows everybody down in the village and as a contractor knows all the farmers as well, he knew of one farm that had terriers but one was smooth coated and these were rough coats.
He said he would not be able to tell whose dogs they were if he saw them either.

As the male dog seemed to have a sore back which was raw and annoying him and not knowing if it was a flea allergy or mange, we decided we would take these two hobo's to the police station.

This was just before 6pm.

We were told that the Police no longer take or deal with stray dogs, and that since 5th April stray dogs have become the remit of Local Authority.
We were quite surprised at this, as there does not seem to have been much publicity about it.

However, the police officer who was at the front desk was very helpful and phoned the Council for us, although he said they do run office hours it seems!

Fortunately the Council called one of the kennels it uses as a pound for strays and they came along and met us at the police station to collect the two terriers.

He had a chip reader with him which he scanned the dogs for when I suggested they might be chipped!, but they were not chipped (I think all dogs should be chipped and recorded as cars are but that's another story).

I am glad the two dogs have been taken to somewhere they will be not roaming and tempted by sheep and lambs, they will be fed, watered, hopefully treated and maybe reunited with their owners.

However I can see flaws in the new arrangement for LA's to deal with stray dogs.

As I understand the police will still support and attend in the case of aggressive or dangerous dogs, but the local authority (who have one of those stupid politically correctly named "Careline" numbers you have to ring when reporting a stray) do not have a service out of normal office hours.

There is an emergency number you can ring to report an injured dog or if there is an emergency, BUT it seems if you find a stray at 18:01 you will be faced with keeping it/them until the next office day (bit of a bind if it is a Friday?).

I suspect the changes here will not enhance the chance a stray has of being found by its owner or taken to a place where it is safe and can do no damage.

How many people would be willing to keep a dog/s at their own responsibility until it could be collected, surely the majority of people would just shout and shoo the animal away leaving it to roam, chase livestock or even cause an accident.

To me these new arrangements are a sign of cost cutting without real consideration of the consequences and that the service should be available 24 hours a week throughout the year, after all strays don't keep office hours and sheep worrying is normally carried out outside office hours in the main.

It also came to light that our council do NOT even have a dog warden at present and the kennel owner is covering the area himself until the council can get a new warden.

Has anyone else got any views on these changes in stray dog control?

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Tally HoHo

super · Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 165 Location: Wildest West

Quick update on the dogs, they have been reunited with their owner. They had come from a nearby farm.

:)
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Tally HoHo

green man · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:08 am Post subject:

That is very good news, yes I agree all dogs should be chipped.
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Well I never!

Celtic Eagle · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 95 Location: Rochdale

If all dogs and cats were chipped it would save a whole lot of trouble and a lot of upset for owners.

Maybe it should be compulsory but very cheap
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Celtic Eagle

MiLisCer · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 36 Location: Cheshire

Pel · Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:48 am Post subject:

we have a local dog warden.. well she does the whole of ceredigion, last time my mum spoke to her.

My dog has a habit of guarding the drain outside my mum's house, and at the time didn't have her collar on as she had just been washed, luckily the warden had sense to knock on our door, and then mum realised she was the lady that bred her daschund, and happend to tell the dog warden that everyone knew everyone else dog... even the farm dogs, who rarely stray, unless there is a bitch in season.

So now if the dog warden is in the local area and picks up a dog, rings mum up, which i suppose is quite a good thing to do, and mum can direct or phone someone else up.

Yes i think micro chipping is a good idea, neither of the dogs have them, but ones 16 and never leaves mum side and the other at 9, knows not to stray too far... or to go in peoples houses, no matter how welcoming they are :smt046
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barraboy · Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 733 Location: the fylde coast

Celtic Eagle · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 95 Location: Rochdale

MiLisCer

You and I consider £15 cheap cos we care about our pets but the idiots who don't and let them run wild would not pay that much. They would probably just chuck 'em out

Like iI say very cheap <£5
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Celtic Eagle

MiLisCer · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 36 Location: Cheshire

Celtic Eagle · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 95 Location: Rochdale

I think that is where the problem lies to do it properly costs. The people who care will pay and the rest won't .

Considering some of the money goverment wastes is this a case for a subsidy ??????
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Celtic Eagle

MiLisCer · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 36 Location: Cheshire

It should be down to the breeders and be a condition of breeding - then each pup becomes traceable

We swallow the cost of chipping our pups and accept it as one of those things. But I for one think there should be tighter control on dog breeding.

All our dogs are health tested for the various congenital diseases particular to that breed, we are licences and insured, KC accredited breeders, feed a high quality diet and are fussy where our pups go.

If a pup was chipped prior to being sold then its at least 80% of the way to being traceable forever!

Mike
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Celtic Eagle · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 95 Location: Rochdale

That's very responsible and generous of you, and that's where a subsidy should go to the responsible breeders.

Well done
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Celtic Eagle

lilwitedogs · Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 749 Location: Kentucky

I have bought the chips in groups of five for about $10 each. The registration is about $8 each, when done in a group. Cheap insurance, the way I see it. Our pups leave here with a chip. Not sure I agree that it should be required, but chipping is a great idea.
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Yvonne
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super · Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 165 Location: Wildest West

storm · Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 2508 Location: Hampshire

It would be nice if the PDSA could offer free chipping for all, not just those that can provide relevant proof of hardship. That would be of more benefit to dogs.