$*ouch*$

[Jag]

I wish someone here would come through and pick up all the loose dogs! Last time we were out walking with Grim, a little pit puppy was running loose. It almost got hit by a car a couple times. These two women were asking if we knew who it belonged to. They said it had been following them for awhile. I've seen more pits and pit mixes running loose since we moved here than I've ever seen in my life! I need to talk to my MIL about it, because she's on the city council.

[onyx'girl]

Well, some shelters sell dogs to research and if they charge a high re-claim fee, some people just cannot afford it. So the shelter will sell that dog to research if they can't adopt it out.
I think in the OP's case(and others similar) there should be a bit of lenience on reclaiming.
Recently there was a county that wanted a s/n clause, any stray before it was returned to the owner...can you imagine!? It was shot down, though after 3 incidents then they have power to do so.
I can see why so many dogs/cats are euth'd instead of re-claimed. Especially if the shelter isn't rescue friendly.

Pits are prevalent around my area too, just so many being bred and they don't end up in good homes.

[Jag]

That is really, really sad about selling off dogs like that!

Apparently, there is a 'drug element' in this tiny farm like town... which may be why there are so many pits running around. They are the one breed of dog that really freaks me out.

[Yoschi's_Pet_Human]

Austin is a "no kill" shelter... so I almost don't mind... I really don't know how they stay "no kill"... the place looked completely full... literally hundreds of dogs!! It's a huge, very modern, facility.

[Mooch]

Well maybe look at the money as a donation to the sheller to stay "no Kill" it may be a bit easier to swallow that way

[doggiedad]

glad you got your dogs back safe and sound.

[Sunflowers]

Originally Posted by MichaelE

Nothing like town government-sactioned extortion.

"Oh, you want your dogs back? PAY US!"

Glad your dogs are safe.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[LeoRose]

The city I live in has a scale of what they charge. First offense for an "at large" dog is fairly cheap, along the lines of $50. Second and third offenses are more expensive. Fourth offense, there's a good chance you won't get your dog back. They also charge a boarding fee if the dog is impounded for more than one day. Dogs with a bite history are even more expensive to reclaim. I called on a neighbor's dog one time (it got loose, they weren't home, and I knew it was a nasty dog) and it would have cost him over $350 to reclaim her, because she had been picked up before and had a bite history.

[msvette2u]

Well there's quite an incentive to keep your dog contained
What's the point of "punishment" if it doesn't hurt a bit? If it isn't a tad painful then it's not a deterrent, is it?

That's the price, too, of living where there's a lot of regulation and legislation.
Choose the country, where nobody really cares if your dog is loose or not...except the neighbors, who have the "right" to shoot your dog should it wander onto their property.

What's funny is - had the neighbor let the dogs wander, they could have easily wound up dead in the road. Then people would be upset about that.
Nobody's ever happy unless they have something to complain about

[OffgridAlex]

Criminal Holding your dogs ransom and demanding and obscene amount of money - I can't see this any other way.

I wonder how many poor dogs that should be safe at home are in there because the owners couldn't or wouldn't pay those extortion charges