Stray dogs

[minnie]

Every morning we get up we find a dog at our door. She's friendly enough and seems in good condition and well fed. She stays in our garden and hangs around us all day long. Our cats are frightened and we're fed up with it as we don't want a dog. We've had dogs in the past and could never be cruel and so we can't hit it or anything. We've asked locally and nobody knows who owns the dog - no disc or anything. Can anyone give us the procedures to follow so that we can get rid of the dog. I think she goes home in the evening.

[Rowan]

Minnie

Is she friendly enough for you to be able to look inside her ears to see if she has a tattoo? If she has, you can phone up the Register Central Canine in Paris and they will tell you the name and address of the owner. You could also take a photo of her and put it on chien-perdu.org and hope her owner sees it, or you could maybe check to see on the same site if anyone has lost a dog with her description.

Of course it is possible that she is chipped, as opposed to tattooed, and the local Marie should have a chip reader.

Failing all that, and if you don't want to put posters up etc, then it is the local SPA, I guess.....

Good luck!

[Russethouse]

 Couldn't she just belong to someone local who locks her out when they go to work ?

[minnie]

We've tried a few of our neighbours - it's mainly farmland around us. At teatime we tied a note and attached it to the collar asking that owners keep it at home. Just been outside now and the note is still attached and the cats frightened away. It really is a nice dog but we can't look after it. Tomorrow I think it'll be the gendarmerie

[Clair]

Quite possibly a hunting dog gone walkies...

We found one wandering outside and gave the owner a call. He said the dog had got lost 4 days before during a hunting outing.

[minnie]

If she had any identification we could do that. We'll drive around more neighbours tomorrow but then it'll have to be the SPA for 47. Our cats would normally be indoor with us now but they have just disappeared...

[Rdupre]

You might try following the dog in the evening to see where it goes. It may lead you to its home.

[minnie]

All well now. We went to the gendarmerie, then the SPA for 47. An hour after we got home the owner turned up at our house. He must have heard we were looking for him and so we re-directed him to the SPA. No doubt they've now been reunited.

[Frederick]

So now expect to see the dog again as soon as it gets out .

[Rdupre]

At least  now if the dog shows up again you will know who s/he belongs to. :))

[minnie]

We have asked the owner to keep the dog out of our premises in future. He seems a reasonable sort....I would hate to go through what we've been through with our 2 cats again. They're only now venturing anywhere near the house as they're petrified of dogs! Still if the dog does turn up again we can just take it home and tie it up as the owners both work - they're teachers. Anyway we'll cross that bridge if it happens. Incidentally one of our french friends reckon the guy would have to pay to collect his dog from the SPA - does anyone know if this is the case?

[Rowan]

At the Carcassonne SPA they make the owners pay to have the dogs chipped or tattooed before they hand them back, as this is a legal requirement. Means the dog can be identified next time it shows up somewhere. If a chipped or tattooed dog is reclaimed, then there is no charge. This may vary from SPA to SPA, of course.

Good luck settling the cats back down!

Rowan

[Jack]

I know your current stray dog problem is sorted but for future reference the mairie of each commune is legally responsible for dealing with stray dogs. It is up to them to arrange to keep it for up to 2 weeks whilst trying to locate the owner. Many mairies will pass dogs on to the local SPA if the SPA is willing to take the dogs. When I have been lumbered with a stray (I am a local councillor in my commune so stray dogs are directed to me as I also work for my local SPA) I take them to my vet to check the owner via the tatoo if there is one and also for microchips. Vets have direct computer access to the Central Canine to check on ownership if the dog is tattoed or chipped.

[Christine Animal]

[quote user="Jack"] Many mairies will pass dogs on to the local SPA if the SPA is willing to take the dogs. [/quote]

Many mairies, but far from all and what happens if the SPA is not willing to take the dogs?  There is no SPA shelter in our département.  The local independent rescuers do all they can to get them out of the mairies so they are not put down, so whenever possible avoid putting a stray dog there.