Dog wardens show some heart
Pound staff sometimes prefer dogs to people. finds
‘‘We have to treat every dog as if it is someone’s pet.’’
For some lost dogs, their stay might be only a day or two, with owners allowed one get-out-of-jailfree card if they have an otherwise unblemished record as a responsible owner.
At Christmas time, the block fills up, with owners sometimes away and not leaving contact details about who is looking after the dog.
If owners do not front up promptly, the $131 pound fee kicks in, or $183 for a second impound, along with a $22 a day fee for food and board. If dogs are not registered ($100 basic) and microchipped ($42), that also has to be attended to before they are let out.
Those costs are a problem for some, and staff know of cases where owners decide it’s cheaper to abandon the dog and get a new one.
For unclaimed dogs, their future depends on the kindness of strangers and the luck of their breed. Pound staff have a list of people looking to adopt certain kinds of dogs of varying ages and sometimes the SPCA arranges rehoming.
But if the dog is classified as menacing by breed, typically some sort of American pit bull terrier, it cannot be sent to a new home.
So for about 140 dogs a year, the only solution is to be put down.
That’s done humanely at the Massey Vet Clinic.
Barbara Whitaker said it was often emotional for staff who had formed a bond with some friendly dogs and was the down side of the job – a trip taken in turns to share the burden.