Ben, lhasa apso

Missing Dog Reunited With Owners After Two Months
Submitted by Neil Burton
January 9, 2008

A Lhasa Apso missing for two months in the Fawley area of the New Forest has been reunited with its owners.

9 year old Ben disappeared from home on the 3rd November 2007 after being frightened by fireworks.

Ben’s owner informed a plethora of agencies and organisations that he was missing but the trail went cold until 7th January 2008 when Ben’s owner’s saw him being walked on the beach at Lepe Country Park.

Unfortunately a man walking the dog spirited him away before anything could be done. Luckily however, the quick thinking owner’s obtained the address and telephone number of a lady who was with the man.

On Tuesday 8th January 2008, sixty six days after he went missing, the Dog Warden Service from New Forest District Council was asked to assist with the return of Ben to his owner.

The finder had failed to comply with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that requires the finder of a dog to either return it to its owner forthwith, or contact the local police or local council Dog Warden.

The maximum penalty if a prosecution is brought is five hundred pounds but holding on to another persons property can be dealt with by the police as Theft by Finding.

As the dog had a microchip he was scanned by the Dog Wardens and the details corresponded with the owner. He was then removed from the finder and immediately returned to his owner.

If the finder had reported finding Ben on the 4th November 2007, he would have been away from his anguished owners for one day and not two months.

The moral of the story is that if you find a dog you should contact the local council where it was found as the owner may have already reported the dog as missing. When Ben disappeared he was wearing a collar but the tag was missing when he was reunited with his owners.

Reader Comment:

Dave the Dog says:
January 9, 2008 at 11:24 am

From another Animal Control Officer, well done to the New Forrest Dog Wardens. It often seems to be a losing battle persuading the public that a found dog is not just free game to anyone who decides they want to keep it.

Even ‘abandoned’ animals are often not abandoned by the owner. In one case here, one of my staff was on patrol and happened to be behind an unmarked white transit van. The occupants must have thought they were being followed. Unexpectedly a dog was thrown out of the passenger door and the van sped off. The Warden caught the dog and when it was scanned it turned out that the dog had been stolen from its owners property shortly beforehand. Please, if you read this, ALL unaccompanied dogs found in public, irrespective of the circumstances, should be reported to the local Dog Warden.

Source: http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/290/missing-dog-reunited-with-owners-after-two-years/#respond