Re: [Felvtalk] a tough and sad day

[Margo]

Really good advice. When I worked for AC, we never confiscated that way, but I suppose it was an option. The only thing that stopped us cold was "it was a stray I tried to catch/pet/play with, and it ran away". We'd ask for a description, file a BOLO for it, and try to follow up, but basically that was that. However, that may bring up the question of rabies.  Lee's right, with a family pet, all kinds of issues come into play. We have to understand that all Doctors are mandated reporters. They are legally obligated to report animal bites. In most cases it's not a big deal, but if they don't report that _one_ case, well, the results could be tragic.

 

Margo

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Evans
Sent: Jun 5, 2013 11:35 AM
To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org"
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] a tough and sad day

 Here's a suggestion to everyone who has cats or dogs. If your cat or dog has a bad hair day and bites/scratches you and you have to go to a doctor or emergency clinic because you are having a reaction to the saliva, afraid of infection or things like that, DO NOT TELL THEM THAT YOUR ANIMAL did the damage. If it's a bite, you can say that your parrot got off his perch and bit you or that you hammered a rusty nail into your finger, anything but an animal bite. Here where I live, a 4 year old kid was playing with his Chihuahua and was probably too rough. The dog nipped him. The parents took the kid to the doctor to have the wound cleaned. The doctor reported a dog bite. That evening Animal Control showed up with a warrant to confiscate a "vicious dog". The family pet was dragged away to Animal Control and the family followed right behind. Animal Control said they would have to put the dog to death because he was determined to be a vicious dog, having bitten a child. The family was aghast. They called the Humane Society and the newspaper in an attempt to save their Chihuahua who had been with them for 8 years. Finally, after several rescue groups and a pro-bono lawyer intervened, the dog was returned to the family. The bite didn't amount to anything. But the bureaucratic mess that followed from the doctor reporting the bite lasted 3 weeks.

Spay and Neuter your cats and dogs and your weird relatives and nasty neighbors too!

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