Have you ever asked yourself what happened to stray dogs at the pound?
If you’re a dog lover of any breed, be sure not to allow them to stray outside your property. The local government has their own way of eliminating those stray animals from roaming around the streets to keep the community safe from dog bites, if not, rabies. It is an ordinance and the pound personnel are empowered and authorized to catch stray dogs. The people should be informed or aware of such ordinance to prevent over population of dogs at the pound.
What to do when your dog never comes home?
The following are some of the possibilities why your dog never comes home:
- Mating time – you will notice that during mating time, your dog seldom goes home for a meal or even to sleep.
- Slaughtered – here in the Philippines, dog meat is the cheapest way for a “pulutan” – a finger food or appetizer eaten during a drinking session.
- Goes with another dog or person – some dogs befriend another dog or another person and they go with them leaving behind their real owners. This happened when an owner neglects his/her responsibility of providing adequate foods and tender loving care with the animal.
- Impounded – this is what the local government is doing to get rid of rabies within the community.
How to claim impounded dogs?
First, you need to check at the local pound if your dog is there. Ask for the assistance of the personnel when looking for your pet dog inside the pound. Inform any personnel of the pound that you want to claim your dog. You will be interviewed to check if you are the legitimate owner of the dog. You are required to pay a minimal pay for the process and you need to wait until your dog is released.
What happened to unclaimed dogs?
Unclaimed dogs or dogs not adopted will be euthanized by legal means in a span of 3 days after arriving at the pound. Advocacy groups are now active in rescuing the unclaimed dogs for adoption. This is the most crucial moment when there happen to be lots of dogs scheduled to be eutnanized that these advocacy groups can handle with. A team of dedicated dog rescuers are coordinating with the city pound personnel in providing dog foods and finding adopters to give the poor remaining dogs a decent home to live and extend their helpless lives. Other groups donate foods and water for the furry pets.
How to adopt a dog at the pound?
There are certain criteria that needs to meet when adopting a dog from the pound. You will pay an adoption fee, registration fee, poundage fee and rabies vaccination fee. You are required to visit the dog at the pound for a certain period of time before they release the dog. Pound personnel check the dog at your home on a scheduled visit. These process may vary from one area to another.
What to do to save your dog from being impounded?
As a responsible dog owner, you need to keep your dogs from roaming around outside your house. If your property has no enclosure or fence, have your dog chained or put in a cage. To keep your dogs safe from rabies, have them injected with anti-rabies. The local government monitors this activity annually in all barangays and conducts free injection of the vaccine.
Ido Naton 