Wandering dog dilemma

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Stephen Pointing — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 13:29:47 GMT

[quote user="Sarah Keir"]And it didn't get blown up by a landmine![/quote] No - the vast majority of them have been removed now. We've been having Zimbabwean deminers coming down each summer for the past 10 years or so - and they've demined nearly all the most useful areas and have now started on the less important ones. It should be possible to walk the dog or go for a run on Yorke Bay at the end of this year's demining season. That beach has been out of bounds since 1982 - the penguins and other wildlife have had it to themselves for the last 35 years. I'm not sure they'll be pleased to have to share it again. Land mines are great for conservation.

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Sarah Keir — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 13:10:11 GMT

And it didn't get blown up by a landmine!

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Stephen Pointing — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 12:50:03 GMT

[quote user="Nicola M"]She is a regular escapee so this won’t be a one off.[/quote] We have very strict rules about unsupervised dogs down here (Falkland Islands). If a dog is seen wandering the streets of Stanley it won't be more than a few minutes before the police are called and then ourselves. We have two outside kennels close to the vet clinic and stray dogs can be put in there until their owners claim them.

A funny story and not related to a stray dog but to an in patient. I was looking after a dog over the weekend while it was housed in one of our outside kennels. Unfortunately it escaped past me as I was delivering it's meal and headed off at a rate of knots - not to be seen again that day. Although we searched extensively on the day it went missing it eventually turned up 7 days later and 60 miles away on one of our largest sheep farms. The shepherds were out gathering the sheep and my patient (also being a sheep dog) joined in the activity. The dog looked none the worse for wear despite its 7 days of freedom.

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 19:27:39 GMT

I once whipped the stupid baseball cap off some little toerag I caught lurking around the back, before he ran off. The copper I then called assured me that I had done no wrong as long as I gave it back if he came and asked for it. Which he did and I did!

(Something about baseball caps infuriates me. Is it the way the idiotic wearers keep them on indoors? Middle daughter once had a baseball-capped boyfriend – I used to ask him if he'd had a good game.)

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Rob Loxley — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 14:38:14 GMT

[quote user="Sam"]The VDS had to be involved. I do believe it is true and that vets have no right to take in dogs [/quote]

Surely it wouldn't be considered as theft as there is no dishonesty nor intention to permanently deprive the owner of his property? Taking without consent relates to vehicles AFAIK

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Sam — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 11:19:35 GMT

Yes. The dog warden was informed but could not collect the dog. If they had done so I would not have had all the hassle!

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 18:57:30 GMT

[quote user="Sam"]I no longer accept dogs into my practice unless the dog warden is informed (even with a microchip reading) and would be wary of holding one on my private property without immediately informing the dog warden so that in effect I am working on their behalf.[/quote]

[quote user="Sam"]He had been searching for his dog for hours apparently. [/quote]

Did you not inform the dog warden that you had the dog?

It sounds like the policeman was an arse, as he should have been grateful the dog was fine and left it at that. However, I lost my dog for one hour a few years ago and I was beside myself. Unless you can use a microchip to contact an owner immediately, I do think the dog warden should be informed quickly to give the owner the best chance to find their dog.

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Stephen Courtney — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 18:34:37 GMT

That’s a great shame. The law is an ass, it seems.

I'm Sorry you had to go through this - it seems absolutely ridiculous

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Sam — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 10:21:26 GMT

The VDS had to be involved. I do believe it is true and that vets have no right to take in dogs just a moral obligation to do so.

The policeman was a complete...,,

He had been searching for his dog for hours apparently. The complaint against me became relatively formal.

It is worth knowing that the law as it stands does not seem to be on our side!

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 00:28:02 GMT

[quote user="Sam"]a police officer who subsequently informed me that I had illegally taken his property and he could take it to prosecution![/quote]

I'm not at all sure that's true. Policemen sometimes pretend to know more about the law than they do.

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Stephen Courtney — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 22:04:24 GMT

[quote user="Chris Geddes"]

[quote user="Sam"]

It turned out it belonged to a police officer who subsequently informed me that I had illegally taken his property and he could take it to prosecution!

[/quote]

Wow....what a ******

I suspect not, but I hope the police officer was a client and that you took great delight in sacking them for unreasonable behaviour!

[/quote]

Police officer should have been informed that he was obliged to take proper care of the dog, and could be pr=osecuted for not doing so.

What an *rse

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Chris Geddes — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 16:21:56 GMT

[quote user="Sam"]

It turned out it belonged to a police officer who subsequently informed me that I had illegally taken his property and he could take it to prosecution!

[/quote]

Wow....what a ******

I suspect not, but I hope the police officer was a client and that you took great delight in sacking them for unreasonable behaviour!

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Sam — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 15:42:43 GMT

I would be inclined to be a little bit careful with this one.

I once took a dog into my practice as it was brought in by a member of the public. It had been running around on a main road at school pick up time causing havoc with the traffic.

It turned out it belonged to a police officer who subsequently informed me that I had illegally taken his property and he could take it to prosecution!

I no longer accept dogs into my practice unless the dog warden is informed (even with a microchip reading) and would be wary of holding one on my private property without immediately informing the dog warden so that in effect I am working on their behalf.

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:24:37 GMT

I don't think you're overreacting. The cynic in me says that if the dog got hit and you mentioned that you'd seen it wandering around, the neighbor would tell all their friends about 'the vet who doesn't care about animals, saw my beloved dear pup wandering around and did nothing, probably watched it get hit!' story.

Yes, it's friday, i'm probably being a bit OTT about this. :p

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

George Cooper — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:18:27 GMT

[quote user="Nicola M"]

Yes she was wearing a collar and tag (and a tracker-so they know she’s safe! ).

My plan for next time she turns up was to do exactly as I did-keep her safe in my garden and call the owner to collect her. I just wanted to check that,

1) I wasn’t overreacting

2) I wasn’t doing anything wrong/illegal by temporarily restricting her from leaving my property when the owner has expressly asked me not to.

Hopefully, even if it was technically ‘wrong’, I would hope that sense would prevail-both for the safety of the dog and road users!

[/quote]

You could always point out that you'd never forgive yourself as a vet if anything happened because you had let her loose again, and keeping her safe, because she's such a lovely dog, seemed the best option when you're in loco parentis.

Owners like this are tricky to deal with because unless you are very careful not to imply any criticism, they get the hump and get defensive.

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Kate Richardson — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:01:51 GMT

Surely she is breaking the law by not having her dog under control and causing a public nuisance? Might be worth gently pointing that out to her too

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Chris Geddes — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 10:29:34 GMT

I think you're right to do as you did, and to do the same next time. If the clearly-not-too-bright owner doesn't realise the risk to the dog, it might be worth pointing out that if the dog wanders into somebody else's garden they may call the dog warden and the owner will end up with a costly bill...

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Nicola Cole — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 10:18:57 GMT

Yes she was wearing a collar and tag (and a tracker-so they know she’s safe! ).

My plan for next time she turns up was to do exactly as I did-keep her safe in my garden and call the owner to collect her. I just wanted to check that,

1) I wasn’t overreacting

2) I wasn’t doing anything wrong/illegal by temporarily restricting her from leaving my property when the owner has expressly asked me not to.

Hopefully, even if it was technically ‘wrong’, I would hope that sense would prevail-both for the safety of the dog and road users!

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Joyce Whitehead — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 08:18:52 GMT

I’d also say no, as my conscience if she got knocked down wouldn’t allow me. Was she wearing a collar and tag? The naughty bit of me would want to contact the dog warden so she would have to pay to get it back. We have repeat offenders in our village, if a Labrador appears it is always owned by one set of farmers, their dogs are always wandering on the road. It is very annoying.

RE: Wandering dog dilemma

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 00:21:51 GMT

[quote user="Nicola M"]So: do I just have to do what the owner asks, leave her to her own devices and hope she doesn’t go the other way down the lane and get knocked over? [/quote]

No.

Your neighbour is a fool.