Yesterday afternoon I noticed a dog wandering around the street where I live. It was walking in the road and was very wet. I went out and talked to him and he came over to me without any problem. Then I noticed that one of my neighbours down the road came out of their house and fed the dog, so I left him to it for a bit.
A while later though the dog was still there and it was raining again. I took it out some cat food, which it ate in about 2 seconds
then I came back in the house to phone the RSPCA and the dog was scratching at my front door trying to get in.
I was disappointed that no rescue centre seemed willing to help, I know it was New Years Day and by this time it was about 5pm, but still the poor dog was soaking, cold and hungry. I couldn't bring it into my house because of my cats.
So, I rang the RSPCA and they didn't want to know. They said to call the local dog warden at my council. I rang the council and they didn't want to know either. They said that the dog wardens hadn't worked since before Xmas Eve and there were none on duty yesterday. I then rang the local emergency vets and they couldn't help either, and I got the same response from another local dog rescue centre. Finally, I called the police on someone's suggestion. They said that they could take it into the police station kennels, but they wouldn't come and collect him! They said that I would have to take him there, but as the station where the kennels are located would be closed I would have to ring the buzzer and wait.......
So, I did this.
By this time there was another neighbour across the road who came out of her house with some food for the dog and said that she had rung the RSPCA too. I said that I would take the dog.
I got a blanket and laid it on the back seat of the car and managed to get the dog into it. He was really quite a sweet dog!! He wasn't keen on the drive I don't think and kept jumping into the passenger seat and then back into the back seat........fairly dangerous!! Anyway, we got to the police station with the kennels, I managed to get out the car and leave the dog in there and went and rang the buzzer. I presume it went through to the central control room, they took my details and said that I should wait in the car and they would send a patrol car down. I told them that I didn't have a collar or lead for the dog, so they would need to bring one.
Needless to say, they didn't!!! I waited in the car with this poor dog for nearly an hour outside the station until an officer finally arrived. There were fireworks going off locally and the dog was getting wound-up by them and barking. Poor fella!!
So, the officer managed to get me a lead, but no collar!! So, we had to make a bit of a make-shift slip-collar-lead-type-thing!! and I followed the officer through the station to the kennels at the back and put the poor doggy in there. It was fairly tiny, but at least it was warm and dry and he was given some food and water.
Phew..........that's turned out to be a long story!!!! Sorry!!!!
The point I wanted to make was that it's a shame that more of the animal rescue places weren't willing to come and rescue this poor stray.