Far left: Mary Michael (right) with her housemate Kylie Collas and cat Billy, who grew up with Mary’s dog Sox and has been fretting since he went missing last month.By Shaun Inguanzo
AN agoraphobic woman says a Keysborough animal shelter gave her dog away despite her calls to find him.
But Keysborough’s Australian Animal Protection Society (AAPS) says the shelter did nothing wrong and the woman’s case highlighted the need for dog owners to microchip their pets.
Mary Michael this week said she remained devastated after her three-year-old Maltese-shih tzu cross Sox – a wedding present from her ex-husband – ran away on 11 July.
The Chelsea Heights woman said she suffered from a social phobia that kept her indoors, and therefore she treasured Sox’s company.
Ms Michael said Sox escaped after digging through soft soil left from a tree stump removal.
She said she called several local shelters, including Keysborough, on 14 July but was told by staff they had no lost dog matching Sox’s description.
“I gave a clear description of my dog, including markings and characteristics,” she said.
“As my dog was not microchipped or tattooed or tagged, I made a point of being very clear.”
Two weeks later Ms Michael phoned an RSPCA shelter in Pearcedale.
She said staff told her that records showed the Keysborough shelter had received, and later adopted out, a dog similar to Sox’s description.
Ms Michael told Star she was certain the dog was hers.
“It came to my knowledge that Sox did arrive at the Keysborough animal shelter on the night of 11 July,” she said.
An angry Ms Michael contacted the shelter and asked if staff could give her the dog back.
But she said shelter staff told her they had no record of her first call and therefore could do nothing to help.
“Now I feel very lonely without him, all because the shelter do not believe that I did call within eight days of finding him,” she said.
“They won’t even tell the new owners that I want him back.”
Keysborough AAPS president Christine Giles said the shelter received a lot of dogs and would hold them, as required under legislation, for eight days before adopting them out.
But she said the shelter had no record of Ms Michael’s call on 14 July, and instead had her first contact listed as three weeks after the date.
“We only have to hold dogs for eight days and that particular one was well and truly adopted out before she rang us,” Ms Giles said.
She said the case highlighted the need for pet owners to microchip or tag their animals.
“People can’t blame shelters if things go wrong when they haven’t done the right thing in the first place,” she said.
“Our aim is to reunite dogs with their owners, but if they cannot be identified by microchip or tag then the owner has only got a chance eight days after we find them.
“We just follow the laws.”
Ms Michael appealed for Sox’s new owner to return her dog.
The dog is described as having a white coat, grey ears and ginger-coloured paws, and answers to the name Sox.
