SAD STORY OF THE FINDING OF A LOST DOG

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 63, 14 November 1949, Page 5

SAD STORY OF THE FINDING OF A LOST DOG

Is a lost dog lost property? If so, just how does one go about disposing of it legally? Mr A. H. Walker, Matata road, has had these problems on his mind since a handsome liver and white pointer strayed on to his property and seemed quite determined to adopt the place as its home. No mongrel, this. Quite obviously a rather valuable type of gun dog. But no owner. As is well-known to farmers, one has to step wai'ily in interfering With the rights and privileges of other people’s dogs. Whereas the stray cat can be shot with a degree of impunity, and a sheep-worrying dog can also be disposed of usually without very nasty repercussions, a decently-behaved and apparently well-bred dog such as Mr Walker’s self-invited guest is a beast of quite a different colour.

Having pondered for a bit and having also read a recent article in the Beacon about ; the legal obligations of a finder of lost property, Mr Walker decided that the dog could be classed in that category, so he offered to hand it over to the police for safe keeping until the owner turned up.

They were riot keen. Did not, in fact, want anybody’s dog as a boarder, and said so quite definitely. A threat to tie it up to the fence outside the police station brought the retort that such action might lead to prosecution for cruelty to animals. It seemed the sort of thing that wasn’t done around decentlyconducted police stations. Well, in cases like this there is usually one who faileth not, thought Mr Walker. The farmer’s friend, tried and true, was undoubtedly the poundkeeper. The very lad to smooth the wrinkles from the worried Walker brow.

But again he drew a blank. It seems the poundkeeper is not in the habit of impounding dogs. He suggested the police. Saddened, frustrated, and still the unwilling host of a persistently friendly dog that had come to love him as a brother with that “whither thou goest I will go” light burning brightly in its eye, Mr Walker rang the Beacon.

Could we reinforce our recent article by telling him what to do now? If it remained unclaimed, would the dog become his property? The police thought so. Did we?

We had to admit it was a ticklish point, but suggested he seek diligently for the owner, since it seemed unlikely that the owner of such a dog would not be seeking equally diligently for it. Ere this the re-union might have been achieved. If not, we trust our little tale of Mr Walker’s dilemma will help to bring about that happy consummation.