Animal Control Mistakenly Took My Dog – What Should I Do?

Dogs
1

Hi guyz,

I’m in a tough spot and could use some advice. Animal control recently came to our house because they saw a stray dog on our street that we sometimes feed. However, they mistakenly took my own dog as well, who was secured inside an enclosed porch with water and food. My dog wasn’t outside, and they didn’t have permission to take her.

I’ve been trying to reach animal control to explain the situation and get my dog back, but they aren’t answering the phone. I also can’t take time off work to go in person, which complicates things further.

I was planning to pay to get both the stray and my dog back, assuming it was my fault, but now it turns out my sister wasn’t home, and my dog was never outside. I’m worried about the $200+ fee and want to address this mistake properly.

What steps should I take to:

  1. Retrieve my dog without having to pay the fee.
  2. Report this mistake and ensure that animal control is held accountable for their error?

Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :thinking:

2

First, I’d recommend emailing or writing a formal complaint to animal control explaining the mistake, and clearly stating that your dog was taken from an enclosed porch without permission. Ask them to waive the fee since it was their error. If they continue to ignore you, you might want to escalate the issue by contacting your local government or even a lawyer.