This story can expose you to something you may never have been aware of -- that many municipalities do not have a department responsible for animal control, and may contract such services to companies that perform animal control services for many municipalities. If you live in such and area, you want to be aware of this.
Dogged search solves dog-gone problem
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Attention, pet owners. Who handles animal control in your community? How long must that company keep a pet alive before disposing of it? Is there a central clearinghouse for missing pets? How much can you be fined if you (a) let your dog run loose, (b) don't have a license or (c) don't have a rabies certificate?
Joe Petrina, right, and his friend Dan Harris, left, with their neighbor's dog Sammie.
Jean and Ernie McPeak and their neighbors, Joe Petrina and Dan Harris, all of Wilkinsburg, learned the answers during an intensive search for Sammie. She is a friendly 20-month-old dog of mixed parentage. Her license is on her red nylon collar.
The McPeaks own Sammie, nee Samantha, and turn her out in their fenced-in back yard several times a day for exercise. Petrina and Harris take her for long walks.
It was on an afternoon visit to Frick Park Jan. 2 that Sammie disappeared. Petrina let Sammie off her leash, but that hadn't been a problem before. Petrina thought Sammie spotted a squirrel and gave chase. He called her name repeatedly. He ran to the closest phone and summoned Harris to help him search. No luck. They then told the McPeaks what had happened.
They called police, the city's animal control office and Animal Friends. They were told Sammie probably would be taken to the Animal Rescue League in Larimer. They went there, filed a missing dog report and left a flier with contact information and color photos.
Petrina and Harris resumed their search on Friday. Saturday began with a mass posting of fliers in Regent Square up to the Frick Park entrance. Then, about a dozen friends joined them for an exhaustive search of Frick Park.
Still nothing.
Then they got a call from a woman in Swissvale who had seen a tan dog in her neighborhood Friday evening. Harris called Swissvale police, but they had no reports of any strays. Harris called two friends, Amy and Joe Brancati, and told them about the report.
The Brancatis showed a flier to two boys who said Sammie had been on their neighbor's porch Friday evening. Although no one was home at that house, a neighbor confirmed the dog was Sammie, that her lower right leg was bleeding and that Swissvale police had picked her up Thursday evening.
Petrina said a "very helpful" Swissvale police dispatcher confirmed the neighbor's report and said the dog had been taken to
Triangle Pet Control Service Co. Inc. in McKees Rocks.
It was sometime after 2 p.m. Saturday when Petrina and Harris started calling Triangle. They left a message every time. No one returned their calls. They started calling again at 7 a.m. Sunday. At 9 a.m., a man answered the phone, confirmed Petrina's description of Sammie and that she was there and said it would cost $100 to retrieve her.
When he paid the bill, Petrina asked why the owners hadn't been notified. He pointed out that Sammie's license was on her collar.
Triangle Manager Jay Spishak said company records show Sammie had no collar when she was picked up. If a dog has a license, Spishak said, the company calls the Allegheny County treasurer's office, which issues dog licenses, to determine the owner's identity and phone number.
He said phone calls are returned, even on weekends. He said he doubted that numerous messages had been left about the dog.
The answers to the questions posed at the top of the column are:
- Call your local municipality -- Triangle has contracts with 70 of them.
- State law says a dog without a license can be disposed of after 48 hours. Spishak said Triangle waits at least 72 hours and longer for licensed dogs. Cats can be put down immediately.
- There is no central clearinghouse for missing pets.
- The maximum fine for each violation is $300.
What made Sammie run? She isn't saying.
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/consumer/20030115walshconsumer2.asp
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