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Incoming Stray Animals
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR
PET
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Firstly, do not wait a few
days to see if your pet turns up, act immediately, Remember
at some shelters animals can only be kept for seven days before
being put to sleep when overcrowding occurs. Common sense is
all that is needed, here are some guidelines:-
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1
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You are required by law to notify the loss of a dog to the
police. Contact all police stations in your area and register the
dog as missing. The police are busy and dogs are a low
priority - the onus is on you to check with the police, not them to
inform you, so check with them DAILY. You can report missing
cats to the police but they may not be interested as the cat is not
a licensed animal. Don't be discouraged, try!!
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2
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Contact the RSPCA Emergency number as well as ourselves as an
RSPCA Inspector or Ambulance may have picked up your pet. THAT
NUMBER IS 0300 1234 999. Contact other local animal welfare
organisations and register the missing animal with them. Check with
them frequently, they do not mind and dealing with dozens of
animals daily can be confusing and some can be overlooked. A
list of contacts is below.
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3
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Contact local vets to see if the animal has been taken in
following and accident. Often people will do this then take the
animal home. A vet would have records.
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4
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Contact your Civic Offices for :
a) the Dog Warden (if there is
one) to check if your dog has been picked up.
b) the Technical Services
Department at your local council to see if an accident has been
notified on the highway or a body has been picked up. Not a
nice thought - but it's better to find out than wonder for a long
time.Check roadsides and low scrubland in the area. Injured animals
will often lie low but may respond to an owner’s voice.
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5
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Advertise -
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on your gate and local notice boards
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Give an accurate description of the animal, a description of its
last know movements, its favourite habitats and offer a reward to
the finder or for information. It is a good idea not to
specify an amount as that can be negotiated to fit the information
and reduce the risk of being "conned".
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with a leaflet drop of about a mile radius
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in local shop windows
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on local radio
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and best of all -
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in a local newspaper
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6
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With lost cats, search sheds, garages, greenhouses, coal
bunkers, skips, wheelie bins, gaps between fences and sheds, empty
properties - they follow estate agents viewing houses, go through
catflaps that lock behind them, and get trapped in houses where
building work is going on - look through windows and letter boxes.
They get locked in halls etc. after jumble sales, get under
the flashing of roofs, into cavity walls, and have been found
under floorboards and under floorboards. Check where food is put
out for foxes, they often gravitate there as a food source and a
cat is just as likely to attack a fox as the other way round.
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7
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Advertise widely - cats can climb into cars and can be
transported to other areas where they climb out and wander away,
totally lost. If your cat is prone to such habitats say so in
your advertisement in the paper so that people living in other
areas may take an interest. If your cat is new to the area
following a move, put some of his used litter in the garden to act
as a scent marker.
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8
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Tell the milkman, postman, paperboy, children, window cleaner,
nursing homes and sheltered accommodations and finally - go out
looking and calling in local areas it may be familiar with and
indeed, other areas Patrol streets in your car but do check on
obvious places on foot. Don't be shy - call the pet's name -
they usually respond to an owner more readily than anyone else.
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Don't give up hope - many pets
are reunited with their owners days, weeks or even months after
going missing.
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What to do if you find a stray dog
Dog owners have a responsibility under the law to prevent their
dogs from straying and causing injury or damage.
They are also legally required to ensure their dog wears a
collar and tag with the name and address of the owner, even if the
dog is microchipped. Many healthy stray dogs, obviously from
caring homes, are not reunited with their owners because they
cannot be identified.
Local authorities are responsible for stray dogs under the
Environmental Protection Act 1990. This Act requires local councils
to employ dog wardens to deal with the problem of stray dogs and to
place them in suitable kennels. Stray dogs must be kept by
the dog warden for a minimum of 7 days to allow their owners to
reclaim them. After this time, many unclaimed dogs are brought to
the Stubbington Ark for rehoming.
If you find a stray dog, you should contact the dog warden
for the area in which the dog was found. You could be liable
for a fine if you find a stray dog and keep it without written
permission of the local authority.
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What to do if you find a stray cat
Remember that cats are not like dogs and it is often their
nature to wander from home on a daily basis. Check to see if
the cat you have found has a collar or ID tag and if so, contact
the owners. Do not encourage the cat to stay by feeding it or
allowing it into your home as it may only be visiting!
If the cat is not wearing a collar, is visiting you regularly
and you do not recognize it, please contact the Shelter on (01329)
667541 between 10.00am – 4.00pm. A receptionist will ask you
for basic details of the cat, e.g. fur length, colour, age, sex and
location and she will try to match this description with cats
recorded on our Lost Register. If there is no apparent match,
she will then ask to bring the cat to the shelter by appointment.
You can also check our lost cat database online to see if your
found cat matches one of those listed link.
Please note we do not have the resources to collect a stray
animal ourselves.
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What to do if you find a stray small animal
Please contact the Shelter on 01329 667541 between 10.00am –
4.00pm to arrange an appointment to bring the animal in.
Please note we do not have the resources to collect a stray
animal ourselves.
What to do if you find an injured domestic animal
Please telephone the RSPCA Inspectorate on 0300 1234
999.
What to do if you find injured wildlife
The Stubbington Ark does take in injured wildlife which are
checked by our experienced staff before being seen by a vet. Often
veterinary treatment is not required. A rest in a quiet dark place
or some feeding up before being re-released may be all that is
needed. Unfortunately, wild creatures often die within 48 hours due
to the shock of being injured or being handled by humans. However,
we do what we can and will always do what is best for the
animal.
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Veterinary practices are also obligated to take in injured
wildlife.
Please note we do not have the resources to collect an injured
animal ourselves
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| Click Here To See Contact
Details Of Local Animal Welfare Organisations |
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