Finding a stray dog

Inexile

Folks, looking for some advice/clarification on the finding of a stray dog. I was under the impression that if a person found a stray dog they did not have to surrender it to the pound and if they notified the Gardaí or dog warden about the dog that once five days had passed they could claim for an official transfer of ownership of the dog. However, on looking at the Control of Dogs Act 1986 it appears that if you even if you notify the appropriate authorities the ownership cant change until a year and a day unless the dogs is actually surrendered. (section of the relevant section of the Act is pasted below).

Anyone any experience of this please.

thanks.
.
Finding of stray dogs.
13.—(1) Any person, other than a dog warden or a member of the Garda Síochána, who finds and takes possession of a stray dog shall, forthwith—
(a) return the dog to its owner, or
(b) deliver the dog to a dog warden, or
(c) detain the dog and give notice in writing containing a description of the dog, the address of the place where it was found, and the address of the place where it is detained to the member in charge at the nearest Garda Station to the place where the dog was found, or to a dog warden.
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, where any person has reasonable grounds for believing that a stray dog has worried or is about to worry livestock, such person may seize the dog and shall forthwith deliver it to a dog warden.
(3) Where a person has found a stray dog and has retained possession of the dog for a year after the date on which he gave the notice referred to in subsection (1) of this section, and the dog has not been claimed by its owner within that year, such person shall become the owner of the dog and the title of the former owner to the dog shall be extinguished.
(4) Subsection (3) of this section shall not apply if, during the period of a year specified in that subsection, the person who found the dog has ascertained who is the owner of the dog, whereupon such person shall notify the owner that the dog is in his possesion and that the dog can be collected from him.
(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2 of this Act, a person who is not the holder of a general dog licence and who detains a stray dog pursuant to this section shall not be required to obtain a dog licence relating to that dog until he has kept the dog in his possession for a period of not less than twenty-eight days, and the said section 2 shall be construed and have effect accordingly.

DBB

That is the case Inexile.
Unless the dog actually enters the pound system, and is logged into their intake book, the owners have 366 days to come forward from the date the finder has notified the wardens/guards that they have found the dog.
There have been examples of some pounds allowing some dogs to go into foster care so that they do their 5 days in a home, not the pound, but these dogs are already in the system and available to be claimed by their owners within the 5 day period.

Inexile

DBB wrote: »

There have been examples of some pounds allowing some dogs to go into foster care so that they do their 5 days in a home, not the pound, but these dogs are already in the system and available to be claimed by their owners within the 5 day period.

Thanks DBB what exactly do you mean by dogs already in the system?

DBB

Sorry for not being clearer!
In my experience at least, they'd be dogs who were signed into the pound by the warden as any other stray would be, but would be too unwell, or too young, to stay at the pound, so they do their pound time (5 days) in a foster home instead. Because they've gone through the official pound intake, they fall under the 5 day rule.
Only some pounds allowed it with people they trusted, I'm not sure how many dog it these days... I haven't dealt with the pounds concerned for a few years now.

Inexile

thanks DBB for the clarification.... maybe it can be arranged for the case Im thinking off but not too sure. Fingers crossed.