Dear Val,
With all the strays you are attracting (!) it may be helpful to put a little note on Tag telling people what to do when they find a stray. The very first thing is to take the dog to the nearest vet to see if there is a chip. Some people say there isn’t one because they “cannot feel / see” it. The chip is injected under the skin and is not visible nor able to be felt. Only someone with a special chip detector can verify if there is one or not. If there is no chip it is the responsibility of the Mayor of the village where the dog was found, to take it from there. Many (in fact most) Mayors will try to wriggle out of this but it is a legal part of their responsibilities to care for stray dogs. It is however not unusual for the Mayor just to take the dog and dump it in another village ! If the village has a ‘convention’ with the local refuge ie belongs to SIPA (not all villages do) then the refuge will take the dog. Fortunately there are many people like your St. Antonin ladies who will do everything to avoid this and to home the dogs themselves. I find that postmen and postladies are excellent sources when trying to find a lost dog and/or get a found dog back to its’ owners.
Sue Poorpaws
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