Found a Pet?

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Found a Pet?

Found a Pet?

Here are some tips for you if you find a lost or stray animal.

If the animal is uninjured and hungry, please feed it with appropriate food, and make water available (don’t give milk as the animal may be lactose intolerant).

NOTE: If you find a VERY skinny or sick animal PLEASE DO NOT feed more than a tablespoon of food.  Over feeding a skinny or sick animal prior to veterinary examination can cause serious health problems.

Bring the animal to your local vets, animal shelter or dog pound so they can scan them for a Microchip which will hopefully have the owner’s details.

If you cannot keep the animal in your home:

If it is a dog please bring him to the local pound or ring your local animal shelter to see if they have room to take the dog in.   If the pound or animal shelter is closed you can bring the dog to your local Garda station.  The Gardai can then ring the emergency Dog Warden.

If it is a cat or other animal please bring them to your local animal shelter.  Ring them first to see do they have room for them.  Please keep the animal overnight if the animal shelter is closed and ring them in the morning.

If you choose to keep the animal in your home until you find the owner:

  • All found dogs MUST be reported to the local dog warden – number can be located from Directory Enquiries.
  • Place an ad in the lost and found section of  www.lostandfoundpets.ie.
  • Create a poster with the animal’s details, where found, your mobile contact number and a picture of the animal and give this to your local Garda stations, vets, etc. Put this poster up around the area where you found the pet.  It is a good idea not to give a full description of the animal so that if someone contacts you saying the animal belongs to them you can check those extra details.
  • Call your local animal shelter to get the animal logged in their Lost and Found Book.
  • Bring the dog for a walk in the area that he was found in case anyone recognises him/her.
  • Ask around the neighbourhood to see if anyone knows who the cat belongs to.
  • Place an ad in the local paper.
  • Check the lost & found notices in your local paper and free ad websites.
  • Keep a record of what steps you have taken to locate an owner. As long as you can prove that all reasonable steps have been taken and no owner is found you can then rehome the animal.
  • If you decide to keep the animal, please do ensure that you carefully consider the commitment required. You must be able to provide proper care, accommodation, food and veterinary care for the rest of the animal’s life.  Animals are expensive to keep.

Dogs:

Excerpt from Irish Control of Dogs Act 1986 Section 13.

"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:

  • Return the dog to its owner, or
  • Deliver the dog to a dog warden, or
  • 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.

If you take the dog in you can keep it for 28 days without a licence, then the animal must be licenced and if you decide to keep/re-home the dog, ownership of the dog is not yours until a year and a day have passed. This does NOT apply to dogs adopted/rescued from pounds, only those taken in as strays."

 

Dublin Dog Pound Details:

Ashtown Pound (serving the Dun Laoire Rathdown area, Dublin Corporation & Fingal County Council Area )
PHONE: 01 8383236
ADDRESS: River Road, Dublin 15

Thanks to the DSCPA for the above information.

dog, puppy, snout