“.. Invercargill dog control officers have slapped a $750 fine on a couple of good samaritans who rescued a lost puppy.
Sue Hedges said her elderly neighbour found the bichon-maltese cross on Sunday.
Unable to look after the animal, the neighbour gave the puppy to Mrs Hedges and her husband Grant, who tried to find its owner.
The dog did not have a collar, was not microchipped and a vet estimated it was three to four months old.
Mrs Hedges left her contact details with three vet clinics, the Invercargill City Council, the SPCA and several businesses, trying to find the owner of the dog.
Yesterday she said she now wished she had bypassed the city council after animal control officers visited her home on Tuesday to seize the dog.
Afraid the pup would be hurt if he was caged with larger, more aggressive dogs, Mrs Hedges refused to hand over the dog ..
.. asking if she could instead keep it until the owners came forward.
“We would love to find the owner and I can’t see any difference … why can’t he stay here and be looked after?” she said.
Instead she was cited for “wilful obstruction of a dog control officer” and fined $750.
“I nearly died,” she said.
“We thought we were doing a good turn.”
“I just really wish that we had not rung the pound,” she said..”
go to source/story>>Fined for housing lost pup – oddstuff | Stuff.co.nz
