What does Council do with stray cats or dogs?

Council employs a dedicated Animal Impounding Officer whose job is to locate straying dogs (in particular) and attempt to reunite them with their owner.

When the Impounding Officer locates a stray dog, the first thing they do is to scan the dog and see if it has a microchip.

If the dog is not microchipped, it will be taken to the Blacktown Animal Holding Facility where it will be held for 7 days before it can legally be sold to another owner or euthanased.

If the dog is microchipped the following will occur:

• Using the microchip number, they will extract the owners contact details from the NSW Companion Animals Database. They will then attempt to contact the owner
• If they are able to make contact with the owner, arrangements will be made to return the animal to its home
• If they are unable to contact the owner, a card will be left at the owners address advising that the animal has been taken to the Blacktown Animal Holding Facility
• After being held at this facility for 14 days, the animal can legally be sold to another person or euthanased.

Even though non-microchipped and microchipped dogs are only legally required to be held for 7 and 14 days respectively, Council’s Low Kill Policy dictates that they are held indefinitely in order to give them a greater chance to be rehomed and avoid euthanasia.

Dogs are only euthanased if they are not considered suitable for rehoming, are aged, frail or ill. In these cases it is considered more humane to have them euthanased rather than holding them indefinitely in the pound environment when rehoming is not likely.

The only time that Council’s Impounding Officer will not take a found animal directly to the Blacktown Animal Holding Facility is when it is injured or is considered too sick to enter the facility. In these cases, the animal will be taken to the Great Western Animal Hospital, 469 Great Western Highway, Pendle Hill for assessment and treatment.