Strays Stolen and Finders

Strays:
The dog scene has changes radically over the last 20 years and dog ownership has a lot more responsibilities in what can feel a hostile environment. Strays were the main stay of many Rescues in the recent past. The Police and the RSPCA stepped backand the local authorities (Council) took up legal duties to take in provide emergency vet treatment if needed to trace owners. Dog Wardens / Animal Welfare Officers became the lead officers. They are responsible for dealing with incidents with public disputes, welfare issues in the home of an educational nature and involving other agencies where continued concern. After 7 days if microchip details are fully resolved without reclaim then strays are either rehomed, passing into a reputable Rescuesor ‘destroyed’ as is their terminology as of the 8th day or after.

Theft and stolen dogs:
Historically this was a feature for dogs of valueinitially breeder’s kennels were targeted to steal pups or valuable pedigree breeding stock. It also featured in the form of ownership disputes with some ending up in the courts. What has emerged is a new malevolent issue which has escalated in recent years as the second hand (Ready trained) dog has increased in valued.Family dogs are viewed as a commodity of cash value. The buyers, they value of the second hand preferring the ready trained/ made dog and believe they are taking on a dog who nolonger can be cared for. No questions asked or same sad story told everytime and believed. You know what dog you are getting when homing an adult…or so you think. Puppy farmers undercutpedigree breeders and standard went down and volume went up. The foreign markets surfaced with the change of quarantine laws. People were rescuing street dogs from all over the world and puppies are arriving in terrible conditions after long journeys. The ethics doesn’t matter to most they push it into the background like any tales of poor animal welfare …They convince themselves they are the “heros” going to give this cheap cute pup a loving home, if it’s health holds up. There is no back-up, no come backs

Snatchers: Now enter the blatantdaylight dog thieves often working in pairs with a van. Dog’s do have a predicatorhuman snatchers. They can gather intelligence ahead of the snatch like marking houseswhere they have noted valuable dog or visiting parks. They snatch off lead dogs; They jump back garden fences maybe be with one at the front door to distract owner; dogs left outside shops easy pickings; dogs left in cars broken window and you’re away. They see someone or a dog warden advertising a dog and feign ownership them false address and they are off.

Your Responsibility: Don’t be Naïve and then Grieve
1. Chip: Makesure your dog’s chip is registered and up-to-date: Correct owner, address and valid mobile numbers.
2. Photos: Have photos of your dog as prove of ownership, so many lost dogs on Doglost have no photos available. Always have a disc with your mobile numbers on your dog’s collar even in the house, this is law.
3. Supervision: Be responsible don’t leave your dogs unsupervised, or in an under-aged person’s charge or managed by strangers especially in a free running pack. Don’t leave unattended in back gardens.These people note patterns and mark houses.
4. Be Savvy: Don’t allow strangers to come and admire your dog be suspicious.
5. Don’t let your dog off lead especially with a dog walker within a multi pack where your dog can be easily picked off.
6. Contact your local authorities and neighbouring councils and Doglost website as soon as you loss your dog. Keep contacting them.

As a responsible Rescue:
1. Histories: We check all dog’s as they arrive , where dog wardens haven’t reassured us,where their history isn’t straightforward or we have suspicions via their chip details and search DogLost website
2. Trace any leads: We follow up any families who think they recognise one of our dogs studiously.
3. Neuter: We neuter all dogs so they lose their value for any con-families wanting our dog (cheap dog for breeding)
4. On Lead for Life: We carefully vet our potential homers so we know we can trust their ownership.We turn many homes down,to risk takers who have their dogs off lead. This guards against a lot of thefts, but also going stray, road deaths andaltercations with other dogs or nervous public. We educate against dog walking companies who blatantly take risks.
5. Management: We are strict on garden security and exit management and tutor on potential dog theft.
6. Ultimate Retention of Rescue’s details kept on our dog’s chip: We retain our Rescue’s address in the background of their chip so if their owners can’t be traced our dog comes back to us.
7. No one ever visits our Centre without an appointment and are turned away even if they have travelled a long way etc etc. We never risk our site being vetted or raided with security systems.

Responsible Finders:
1. Call the mobile on the dog’s disc.
2. If no disc, take the dog to a vets so they can read the microchip details.
3. Local Authority: If no luck call the local authority and a few neighbouring authorities just in case their owner has reported them missing. You may need to hold on to the dog in a spare room over night. Call them again in the morning to make sure the message has been passed on to the day shift, and any panicked owners have since called in with clear description of their dog.
4. Proof of ownership: Never give the dog to someone who you have any concerns about i.e. feigning ownership ask for a name, photo, history. And the dog’ recognition. True owners have turned up to find their dog was been passed on to false claimer.
5. Finder should never advertise the details of the dogfound on Social Media just “Found a dog in such an area” The owner needs to come forwards and describe the dog as proof.
6. Check “DogLost.co.uk” and social media if anyone is reporting their dog lost or stolen even after the council may have collected as the council probably won’t do this.

The law has changed and Snatchers are being treated with more severity. Up until now dogs were classed as property. Be astute.