"My dog's got no nose. How does it smell? ...Awful!!!!"
It's an old joke, but there is a point to the embarrassing start to this blog entry. Dogs can be smelly things. In fact, the smell of a dog can often give clues as to whether it is a loved pet that has just gone AWOL for half an hour, or a serial stray that nobody really cares about.
Anyway, smelly or not, they end up in the back of my van which then causes other odour problems. Not all dogs are good travellers, especially if they have just been fed. There is something about the dog warden van that causes Fido to leave its mark from both ends if you get my drift. Now obviously I'm well equipped with mop, bucket, water and gallons of disinfectant and can often be seen parked up at the kennels, swabbing out my cages (yes, all waste is disposed of in an appropriate manner). It does however have its advantages, as in times of urgent need, mine is the last van to be taken by any other members of the team because they've got an emergency to deal with.
So my plea today is aimed at anyone finding a stray dog. If you know we are on the way to collect the dog, please don't feed it. Give it water by all means, but leave the feeding until it reaches the kennels. It will survive for another hour or so, and any food you give it will probably end up on the van floor & all over the dog warden's sleeve, giving the dog no benefit at all. I thank you!!
It has always been my intention to write this blog as a slightly light hearted insight into the world of the Swale Borough Council Dog Warden. That is still my aim, however some things are so important, a light hearted approach would be inappropriate. So I am now putting on my serious hat.
Our out of hours stray dog collecting service received a call from a member of the public last Thursday evening reporting that a cross breed Staffie with 4 very young puppies had been abandoned in New Road Recreation grounds in Sheerness. Now, don't forget that last week was very cold. At the time they were found the temperature was about minus 2, but this young Staffie bitch, probably not much older than 15 months had been tied up to the park railings, with the puppies in a cage beside her. Without their mother's warmth, it's doubtful they would have survived for many hours at temperatures as cold as this.
Fortunately the story has a happy ending after the quick thinking of a member of the public took the dogs into their home for warmth and called our stray dog service. Gel Chidley, who was on duty that night, transferred the dogs straight to the kennels where they are now doing fine. We are investigating this matter as an offence under the animal welfare act 2006 has been committed, so if anyone has any information that may help us, please ring 01795 417850. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.
It's an old joke, but there is a point to the embarrassing start to this blog entry. Dogs can be smelly things. In fact, the smell of a dog can often give clues as to whether it is a loved pet that has just gone AWOL for half an hour, or a serial stray that nobody really cares about.
Anyway, smelly or not, they end up in the back of my van which then causes other odour problems. Not all dogs are good travellers, especially if they have just been fed. There is something about the dog warden van that causes Fido to leave its mark from both ends if you get my drift. Now obviously I'm well equipped with mop, bucket, water and gallons of disinfectant and can often be seen parked up at the kennels, swabbing out my cages (yes, all waste is disposed of in an appropriate manner). It does however have its advantages, as in times of urgent need, mine is the last van to be taken by any other members of the team because they've got an emergency to deal with.
So my plea today is aimed at anyone finding a stray dog. If you know we are on the way to collect the dog, please don't feed it. Give it water by all means, but leave the feeding until it reaches the kennels. It will survive for another hour or so, and any food you give it will probably end up on the van floor & all over the dog warden's sleeve, giving the dog no benefit at all. I thank you!!
It has always been my intention to write this blog as a slightly light hearted insight into the world of the Swale Borough Council Dog Warden. That is still my aim, however some things are so important, a light hearted approach would be inappropriate. So I am now putting on my serious hat.
Our out of hours stray dog collecting service received a call from a member of the public last Thursday evening reporting that a cross breed Staffie with 4 very young puppies had been abandoned in New Road Recreation grounds in Sheerness. Now, don't forget that last week was very cold. At the time they were found the temperature was about minus 2, but this young Staffie bitch, probably not much older than 15 months had been tied up to the park railings, with the puppies in a cage beside her. Without their mother's warmth, it's doubtful they would have survived for many hours at temperatures as cold as this.
Fortunately the story has a happy ending after the quick thinking of a member of the public took the dogs into their home for warmth and called our stray dog service. Gel Chidley, who was on duty that night, transferred the dogs straight to the kennels where they are now doing fine. We are investigating this matter as an offence under the animal welfare act 2006 has been committed, so if anyone has any information that may help us, please ring 01795 417850. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.
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