Stray dogs, the law...

...if someone picks up a stray dog, what is the law? Can they find a new home for the dog or must they keep the dog and notify the local ISPCA or what. And if they do anyhitng like spay and neuter the dog can they be sued for it afterwards if the owner turns up?

boomerang

Your only obligation Conor is to notify your local garda station, who should put the details in a log book. The dog is legally yours a year and day after the date the details are registered in the log book.

If however you are keen to keep the dog, I'd make every effort now to track down the owner, rather than leave it to chance and have someone claim the dog off you months down the road. That is, of course, so long as it appears the dog has been well-cared for. Your best chance of finding the owner is to notify your local pound, rescue groups, and use your local media.

Particularly if it's a purebred dog, it may be microchipped. You'd need to take the dog to a vet to be scanned for a microchip. Pounds and some rescue groups would also have a scanner.

Hope this helps.

LadyTBolt

My current dog was a stray. The person who found him couldn't place him in a rescue centre as there was not enough room and he didn't want to hand him over to the dog warden in case he was PTS so he tried to find a home for him through boards. I saw the post and was interested right away.

To ensure everything was done properly, I contacted the dog warden and explained there was a stray and I would be interested in taking him but would like to allow the 5 days for its possible owners to claim the dog.

The dog warden brought him to the pound and agreed if he wasn't claimed within the 5 days the dog was mine. After the 5 days I went down to the pound, they microchipped the dog and then I got a license. They told me I would have to get the dog neutered so I doubt if within a year and a day if the owners appear I would be sued for neutering the dog.

Other than that, if the whole year and a day thing is correct and his owners did miraculously appeared they'd have a lot to deal with as there is no way I'm giving my Bob up. He's mine and I have the license and microchipped docs to say so.

Thanks for the info.

melissa4gar

my molly turned up on my door step skinny freezing and very nervous. contacted gardi and pound etc. brought her to vets to be spayed and found out she was pregnant. she was under one herself. gardi said after 6 weeks after she had 3 beautiful pups that the state she was in when found was enough to say she was abandoned. two years later molly is not so nervous and her first and only loitter of 3 males still live happily here. as long as you show a genuine effort in trying to find the owner and no one comes forward after a week or two i would say all is good