Weather Corresponds with Found Dogs

Warmer weather is here and while it might be tempting to run out the door and enjoy the fresh air, you should stop and make sure you know where your pet is.

Portage County Dog Warden Dave McIntyre says when the weather gets better, they bring more dogs into the shelter, “Last Friday I think I had about four calls after hours for dogs.”

He says a lot of times if one of his three deputies finds a dog, they’ll call the office and run the tag number. That gives them the dog’s home address so the deputies can bring it home. 

However, they don’t have to bring your dog home. Warden McIntyre said, “What could actually happen if we wanted to be jerks about it, we could bring a dog—every dog back here—we could charge them an impound fee, a dog license, then we could also charge them into court and I think court is about a $150 fine. And that’s per dog per day.”

Chapter 955 of the Ohio Revised Code requires every dog be licensed, the dog wears the license tags, and every dog must be under control or restrained with a leash. 

The best way to avoid fines is to make sure you take a few precautions.

Benji, a two-year-old purebred shitzu, used to escape whenever he could. “It’s kinda scary to not know where your dog is,” his owner Adriana Rivera said about the times he ran away, “he could very well be taken by somebody or picked up and taken somewhere else and you just don’t know.”

That’s why she trained him to stay. Her advice is to teach simple commands like sit, stay and back, but also to make sure you’re mindful of where your dog is. Don’t leave them outside or unattended unless you know they’re secure at home.

 

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Audio Script:

People are out walking, cars are driving by with their windows down and the 80 degree air is blowing by a little too hard to be called a breeze.

Summer is here, and for most that means the end of classes and time for fun, but for Portage County Dog Warden Dave McIntyre, it means more dogs coming to the shelter.

The small cement building is lined with wire fenced cages that house the dogs.

Each cage has a doggie door so they can go inside to the other half of the cage, but there’s just cement and bowls for food and water.

And, most of those cages are full now that the nice weather has returned.

“The weather does play a huge role”

“Last Friday I think I had about four calls after hours for dogs.”

“If I don’t have to keep the dog in my shelter longer than a day or two, you know, I’m fine with that.”

If a dog is picked up by the dog warden, you don’t just go get it and take it home.

There are some consequences.

“There’s two parts to the law. One is you have to – every person who owns a dog has to have a dog license. Every dog has to have a dog license, and if you don’t you can get fined. That’s a hundred fifty dollar fine. Um, and there’s another section that says dogs shall be wearing a dog license at all times.”

Ohio law also requires your dog always be under your control or on a leash, it also says that you’re liable if your dog hurts somebody.

“If you dog ends up biting another person or kills another dog then we get into the vicious and dangerous dog laws.”

“And once a dog is deemed dangerous and vicious you would have to go to court and say my dog is not and you would have to prove why it’s not and honestly it’s pretty hard to prove after your dog bit unprovoked.”

“And once you have a dangerous dog you have restrictions you have to do. You know, you have to walk your dog with a muzzle, you have to have a special tag, it has to be neutered”

“A lot of good things for the dog but you know its extra steps now that you have to take and you have to buy a dangerous dog license and tell everybody you have a dangerous dog”

So to avoid that, it’s best to just make sure you know where your dog is at and take some precautions to keep them at home.

“I personally, we have a petsafe home system you know basically it’s a wireless fence and you put the collar and the dog and teach it not to go out you know this is its boundary.”

Training is key, so start with simple commands.

This is Benji. He’s a 2 year old pure bread shiztu with patches of black and white, and a little bit of an underbite.

So sometimes one of his teeth or his little pink tongue get caught hanging out.

His owner, Adriana Rivera who’s a graduating senior at Kent State, said this little cutie used to love sneaking out when he could.

“Yeah benji has gotten loose a couple of times not really far distances usually just in the apartment complex”

“It’s kinda scary to not know where your dog is”

1:30 “He could very well be taken by somebody or picked up and taken somewhere else and you just don’t know.”

Her best advice?

“If they are outside definitely keep an eye on them if you think you’re going in just to go to the bathroom I know somebody who got their dog stolen that way.. Commands..”

And as simply put as it gets, Mr MacIntyre’s final piece of advice:

”Really… just keep an eye on your dog.”