Post by melonie on Dec 9, 2013 14:36:09 GMT -5
This is the post that Michelle shared: btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2013/12/thoughts-practical-solutions-to-the-idea-of-reducing-eliminating-holding-periods-at-shelters.html
My questions or those on the board involved with rescue is this:
(Keep in mind I live in a small town of around 3500. If you include surrounding towns, you can up the community to 4500-5000. If you don't know someone, your friend usually does and your neighbor is related to them.)
What would you do if a person stops by the shelter looking for a new dog to adopt. They see a dog and exclaim, "That's my dog! She's been missing for 3 months! How can I get her back?" The dog in question had been impounded as a stray by the police dept. We held the dogs for 5 business days, then it became ours. During that 5 days the police dept. does post a photo on their website, and makes a radio announcement during the local radio stations call in show. (They do this with every impound.)
This happened a couple of weeks ago at our shelter. The worker recognized the persons last name, as the same as one of the ladies who works at the convenience store her mother manages. So that day she asked that co-worker and quickly learned the person was a good guy, but didn't have a lot of money to take care of his animals. (the person was her brother in law)
The shelter manager asked me what we should do if he wanted the dog back. I wasn't too keen on letting him have her because her behavior was that of an abused dog. So I said to let him fill out an application, send it to the board, and deny it. Easy as that.
Legally the dog was ours, even if he could prove it had been his dog.
He didn't come back to speak to the shelter manager or fill out an app. The dog was adopted out the next week. So problem avoided.
If this comes up again how would other shelters handle this?
What considerations should be made?
My questions or those on the board involved with rescue is this:
(Keep in mind I live in a small town of around 3500. If you include surrounding towns, you can up the community to 4500-5000. If you don't know someone, your friend usually does and your neighbor is related to them.)
What would you do if a person stops by the shelter looking for a new dog to adopt. They see a dog and exclaim, "That's my dog! She's been missing for 3 months! How can I get her back?" The dog in question had been impounded as a stray by the police dept. We held the dogs for 5 business days, then it became ours. During that 5 days the police dept. does post a photo on their website, and makes a radio announcement during the local radio stations call in show. (They do this with every impound.)
This happened a couple of weeks ago at our shelter. The worker recognized the persons last name, as the same as one of the ladies who works at the convenience store her mother manages. So that day she asked that co-worker and quickly learned the person was a good guy, but didn't have a lot of money to take care of his animals. (the person was her brother in law)
The shelter manager asked me what we should do if he wanted the dog back. I wasn't too keen on letting him have her because her behavior was that of an abused dog. So I said to let him fill out an application, send it to the board, and deny it. Easy as that.
Legally the dog was ours, even if he could prove it had been his dog.
He didn't come back to speak to the shelter manager or fill out an app. The dog was adopted out the next week. So problem avoided.
If this comes up again how would other shelters handle this?
What considerations should be made?