Unclaimed Dogs

​​First Seven days

For the first seven days a dog is detained, it remains in the custody of the Local Authority.

Very few Local Authorities operate detention centre and contract the keeping of the dogs to private kennels or Local Charities. These vary dramatically from small rural boarding kennels to large organisation such as Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Thankfully the majority of dogs are reunited with their owners in this period. Owners can reclaim their dogs back after paying the statutory fees set by the individual Local Authority. Fees are set in line with legislation and vary depending on where you live.

​​Seven to eighteen days

At some point during this period the dogs are gifted, usually to a rescue. Rescue’s take in dogs in line with their admittance policies.

Some take in healthy dogs, others are breed specific and some are sanctuaries.

​​Eighteen days onwards

By now dogs have generally adjusted to the kennel environment and are becoming emotionally stable. They start to be assessed for profiling their individual characteristics and behaviour to find them suitable homes.

it is still possible for genuine owners with good homes to reclaim their dogs back in this period but it is dependant on the dog and the rescue where the dog is.

​​Castaways

Dogs that have been neglected beyond help are difficult to place into rescue, some are physically suffering, some are psychologically suffering, these dogs  are castaways, casted aside, neglected by their previous owner.

Anyone caring for a dog has to provide for the five freedoms or face prosecution for cruelty. Delivering freedom from pain in the long term is not always practical, neither is helping a dog with conditioned poor behaviour to exhibit normal behaviour an achievable objective.

No responsible individual or organisation (nor should we expect them to) take into care a dog that cannot have the five animal freedoms.

Sadly

If a dog cannot be placed into rescue and ultimately a new home without the ability to ensure that the dog lives a happy life with the freedom it deserves than there is no option but to let the dog go and euthanaise them.

Most Local Authorities don’t make this decision themselves, they pass it onto specialist to make the recommended decision for them.

No healthy dogs are destroyed

Healthy and well balanced dogs are easy to find rescue places and homes for, at the moment England has more rescue places available than dogs requiring them.

Consequently we have seen a recent trend in stray dogs coming into England from foreign countries to find homes here.

No life wasted

Despite the sadness of having to deal with the results of human impact on some dogs, especially those dogs castaway for ailments and behaviour. Ourselves, Vets and some rescues try to ensure that the life of a dog is not wasted.

Medical progress is important to understanding and extending the lives of dogs, Vets in our Universities needs training, our understanding of dogs needs increasing. It is for these reasons that some dogs are gifted to some University Veterinary Institutes to help with medical advancement.

No stray dog seized by a Local Authority Dog Warden Service is ever sold or gifted for vivisection.

Freedom of Information

Local Authority have to disclose information they hold regarding seized dogs, most Local Authority do this in the form of a Dog Register, This details the outcome of the dog after seven days. Detailing if the dog war returned home or placed into rescue.

Some Local Authorities hold more information than others, some publish it on their web sites.

Over the past decade the number of castaway dogs to neglected to help has reduced year on year and thankfully since the 1980’s healthy dogs are no longer destroyed in this country due to a lack of rescue spaces.