A dog owner from Southport was left ‘raging’ after he had to pay a large fee to get his 16-year-old pet back after it wandered off and was picked up by animal wardens.
Michael Sandells, from Southport said his Lhasa Apso dog ‘Oscar’ escaped from the home as the family were moving furniture on Sunday, January 19 2020.
Mr sandells said a member of the public did the right thing and contacted the dog wardens who are contracted by Sefton Council
Mr Sandells said he was contacted by the wardens the same day to say they had Oscar.
However, when Mr Sandells asked where he could pick his dog up from, he was told by the wardens they would not be releasing the address of the kennels and would charge a £71 fee to drop Oscar back home.
Oscar’s owners, from Southport, were left fuming after they had to pay £71 to reclaim their dog (Image: Michael Sandells)
Mr Sandells told OTS News: “I got a call from the dog warden and they told us they had scanned the microchip.
“I was made up and asked where he was so we could pick him up, but they said they wouldn’t tell me where he is, but charge a £71 fee to drop him off.
“I can understand if he had already stayed overnight in the kennels or it was a lesser charge, but we were offering to pick him up the same day.”
Mr Sandells also claims when he first contacted the local authority they told him the animal warden services were not anything to do with them as it was a private company.
However, he claims when he rang the dog wardens asking to speak to a manager they asked if he had spoken to the council.
Mr Sandells said: “I rang the council and they said it was nothing to do with them as it’s private.
“I rang the animal wardens and asked for a manager, but they kept asking if I had spoken to the council.
“No one was helping me. I don’t why I couldn’t pick him up.”
The Southport resident said he was struggling to gather the £71 to retrieve Oscar from the kennels, but offered a goodwill gesture of £30 – which was declined.
Dog days are over for stray pooches after rescue deal agreed
Mr sandeells added: “I just feel like we are being held to ransom and being punished for him not wearing a collar.
“I am struggling to get the money together, £71 is a lot of money to us especially in the third week in January.
“I made it clear we wanted him back, but it wasn’t relevant to them that we couldn’t afford it.”
According to the Sefton Council website if a dog is reclaimed within 48 hours of arriving at the kennels, the reclaim fee is £71 per dog and after 48 hours the charge is £110 per dog.
If the dog is not reclaimed in seven days by the owner it becomes the property of Animals Wardens Ltd who may give the dog to a animal centre across the North West for them to assess its suitability to be re-homed.
Mr Sandells said: “After seven days what are they going to do with 16-year-old dog?
“It is just wrong through and through.”
Mr Sandells has now paid in full, but said he will be making a formal complaint.
A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “We would like to remind dog owners of their legal obligation to ensure their pets are correctly micro-chipped, wearing a collar and identifying tags.
“In this instance we can confirm wardens were called to a lost dog with no tags which had been found on a busy road in Southport this weekend.
“In line with normal procedures, the warden scanned the dog for a microchip and contacted the owner so that the dog could be reunited without the need to take him to kennels.
“Unfortunately his owner refused to pay a standard reclaiming fee and the dog was taken to kennels.
“We can confirm the dog is fit and well and has seen a vet to ensure his health is good.”
Dog owners flees as young child scarred in vicious Marine Lake attack
#PawsForThought: Abandoned and terrified dog rescued from Sefton shopping precinct
OTS News on Social Media