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STRAY and UNWANTED DOGS Lisburn faces a huge problem with stray and unwanted dogs roaming its streets. So why do so many dogs end up dumped on the streets or in the Council’s kennels? The most likely reasons appear to be: - Dogs are bought as presents for people who are not fully committed dog owners
- Parents buy their children a puppy but the child soon loses interest and the parents do not want the responsibility for looking after it
- A particular breed is bought without prior research into its characteristics. Care problems arise when the dog becomes too much of a handful and is abandoned
- Dogs develop incurable behaviour problems. But in reality most behavioural problems can be overcome
- Dogs are not fitted with any means of identification so they cannot be traced back to their owners
- Dogs are not neutered which leads to unwanted puppies which are then abandoned
What Becomes of a Down And Out Dog The first thing a Dog Warden will do if he finds a stray dog is to try to identify its owner. If the dog is wearing an identity tag or is microchipped, this is not a problem, but unfortunately, most dogs picked up by the council do not wear identification. The Council Dog Warden Service takes unidentified dogs to the Council’s Dog Kennels in Altona, Lisburn. Most people think of a stray dog as one without a home. This is not the case. The Dogs (NI) Order 1983 describes a stray dog as any dog that is not on its owner’s property and not accompanied by any person. The Dog Warden can seize any straying dog and impound it until the owner can be traced. How Can I Help StraysIf you find a stray dog, contact the Council’s Dog Wardens on 028 9250 9395 and they will arrange to collect the dog from you. If you really want a dog of your own why not rehome a dog by contacting our Dog Wardens at the number listed. 
Lisburn City Council Dog Kennels Lisburn City Council operates its own kennels where stray and unwanted dogs are kept until reclaimed, rehomed or humanely destroyed. The opening hours are Monday – Friday 12.30pm – 2.30pm or by an appointment between 9.00am – 5.00pm Rehoming Lisburn City Council actively seeks to rehome any dogs that are not reclaimed or any unwanted dogs that are brought to the kennels by their owners. If you could give a dog a good home please do not hesitate to contact the dog wardens. Identification Is The Key Licence Get a licence for your dog and make sure that it always wears its licence tag with the unique number on its collar. Tag Ensure your dog has an identification tag as well as its licence disc on its collar. The tag should contain the owner’s name and current address, and telephone number if desired. It is best to have a more permanent means of identification as well as tagging such as microchipping. Microchipping Microchipping is a veterinary procedure in which a small capsule, the size of a grain of rice, is injected under the dogs skin. The chip contains a unique reference number that can be linked to a computer database containing the owners contact details. Lisburn City Council scans all dogs that are brought into its kennels and would strongly advocate microchipping as an additional means of identification.
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