We get asked this question a lot, as unfortunately it's a common occurrence! There seems to be a lot of misinformation around about this as well, so we want to clear it up.
If you do find a dog or discover one hanging around your property we suggest you do the following:
- Check the collar for a tag with a phone number. If there is one, call the person and let them know you have their dog and arrange pickup.
- If there is no tag get the dog to your local vet or animal shelter so they can check the chip, and contact the owner to pick up
- If there is no number registered on the tag, either contact your local council, or leave at the shelter so an owner can be found.
- Post on your local social media/community pages with a clear picture of the dog, and advise the current location (which animal shelter it is at)
We often find that people find dogs and assume they are strays immediately and need rehoming. This is not the case. The vast majority are owned dogs, and need to get back to their family!
If your dog went missing the most obvious place for you to first contact is a Council animal shelter, so it makes sense to ensure that is where the dog is!
On the odd occasion the dog is a stray, or the owners can no longer look after it, council will do their best to ensure the dogs gets rehomed (following all legislative requirements).
We work with Council shelters across the country, and love their care and commitment to this.
Council shelters, and the staff who work there, are wonderful humans and huge dog lovers. They WANT to get dogs home to their families as soon as possible, so lets all do our bit and help that happen! 
