A number of stray dogs and pups are reported to our Society every week. If your animal has strayed or gone missing there are a number of important steps to follow when trying to locate it. You should be aware that your dog is collected by the Dog Warden and sent to the Pound you have five (5) working days in which to claim it after which time the animal may be re-homed or put to sleep. Remember over 20,000 animals are put to sleep in the Pounds in Ireland every year and you don’t want your pet becoming another statistic of this sad fact.
In order to make every effort to find your pet you should get in touch with Put notices in shop windows/notice boards etc. and notify your friends and neighbours and don’t assume that they would recognise your pet. Contact local rescues via Social Media i.e. Facebook or Twitter (Roscrea SPCA, The Haven Rescue, LSPCA, Offaly SPCA, Tipp friends of Animals). If you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account get a friend to contact them for you. Many animals have been reunited with their owners through the power of social media
What to do if your pet goes missing
Contact:
- Tipperary North Dog Warden, (087) 4194548 – Check to see if your dog has been picked up
- North Tipperary Dog Pound (067) 33323 -Check to see if your dog has been handed into the pound
- South Tipperary Dog Warden (087) 8280080 – Check to see if your dog has been handed into the pound
- Local Gardaí (Roscrea) (0505) 24230 – Report your dog as lost/missing/stolen
- Roscrea SPCA (087) 2137223 / (086) 3582440 – We can post to our social media pages
- Laois SPCA Dog Warden (086) 2556298 – Check to see if your dog has been picked up
- Offaly SPCA Dog Warden (057 93) 51181 – Check to see if your dog has been picked up
- Microchip company – Contact the company that your dog is microchipped with as it can be marked as lost or stolen on the database
It is important that your dog wears a collar and ID tag with your contact details on as there is nothing more frustrating than finding a lost dog only to discover that we cannot reunite it with its owner as it not wearing any identification. Since 31st of March 2016, It is a legal requirement in Ireland that all dogs are microchipped.
What to do if you find a dog
If you find a dog straying there are a number of steps that you should take, firstly if it is safe for you to approach the dog you should check for an I.D. Tag and call the owner, but be careful approaching the dog as s/he may be nervous around strange people. If there is no I.D. Tag or contact details available bring the dog to your local veterinary clinic to have it scanned for a microchip. The service is free in the majority of clinics. If you do not locate the owner of the dog you have a legal requirement to report the found dog to the dog warden or give written notice to the Gardaí. (Control of Dogs Act, 1986) You can report the dog to local rescues and they will place the details on their website or social media pages. If you decide that you would like to keep the dog yourself you must give written notice to the dog warden or local Gardaí and if after a year the owner has not claimed the dog the finder shall become the owner of the dog and the title of the former owner shall be extinguished.
Microchipping
Microchips for pets are about the size of a rice grain and are placed beneath the skin at a specific point by injection. Encoded on a the chip is a specific code number unique to the pet which is registered along with details of it’s breed, sex, age and most importantly the owners name, address and telephone numbers. Remember, if you change address and/or telephone number you should immediately notify the database with your new details.
Your pet is registered on a national database, and a hand-held scanner at the nearest veterinary surgery or dog pound can easily read the chip when your pet is found, and you will be reunited. Since March 31st 2016, It is a legal requirement in Ireland that all dogs are microchipped.
The main benefit of having your pet microchipped is that should he/she get lost a vet or warden with a handheld scanner can identify him/her and contact you. Another benefit is, should there be a dispute of ownership, this is a quick and reliable way to establish the rightful owner. It is very easy for a pet to get lost. They may wander away through an open gate or scale over a wall or fence and become lost. They might chase after wildlife or be separated during a walk with the owner.
An identity disc or tag can do the same job, but a collar or disc can fall off or be removed and over years the writing or engraving tends to wear and become difficult to read. A combination of a microchip and an identity tag is best. Roscrea SPCA run schemes during the year to help people with the cost of microchipping.
Read more here:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2015/si/63/made/en/pdf
If someone is considering travelling to/from Ireland with their pet they must have their pet microchipped before applying for pet passport.