I am writing in to response to the letter to the editor that was in the Tribune on Dec. 2 from Cheryl Plotts. We did indeed take in their 8-year-old golden retriever named Mic. I would first like to tell of the circumstances surrounding our intake of this dog. We received a call from a lady who had a golden retriever at her house and had had him there for a week, and as we found out later this house was a half mile away from his home. She said that she had called KATE Radio and put him on “Paw and Claws.” No one called her within that week so she called us and a volunteer went to get him. Our volunteer held him at her house for three days, and in that time period contacted a rescue to see if they had any space for him. They did, and he went to one of their foster homes in South Dakota.

The volunteer who picked him up got a phone call one day after releasing him to the rescue from the lady who had had the dog for one week. She said that someone was at her home, and that he was the father of the owner of the dog. Our volunteer talked to him and told him that he would need to contact the rescue that Mic went to in regard to the return of his dog. He did contact them, and they said that they would return the dog and started to set up a transport for him to return home. They worked with Mr. Plotts on the return of his son’s dog, but he was having difficulty coming to come to Albert Lea to pick up the dog when it arrived. They ended up agreeing on signing a surrender form, a monetary amount of $250 to be given to the Plotts and Mic stayed in the foster home. A signed surrender form has been received by the rescue, and he was given a check for his beloved dog.

The Humane Society takes full responsibility for being negligent in not scanning him for a microchip. We do own an old scanner at the shelter and can also take them to any of the vet clinics for scanning. Unfortunately we did not follow our normal sequence of intake with this dog. We have limited space so we cannot possibly hold dogs indefinitely in case an owner shows up. The city of Albert Lea requires any animal that’s picked up within city limits to be held for five business days, but according to a deputy I spoke with there are no time limits if the dog is picked up outside of city limits in Freeborn County. We move these dogs to other rescues because of these space issues, rather than euthanizing them due to space issues.

We can do what we can to find the owners and use the resources that we have. We cannot possibly put a notice in the paper or shopper each time a dog comes through our doors. Nor do we have the staff to put up fliers in the surrounding communities as one person suggested. Being a pet owner, it is an owner responsibility to look for your pet if it is missing. If my dog was missing I surely would not have waited 11 days to look for him. Resources available to the public are to call us at 507-377-8501. If you are within city limits call ALPD at 507-377-5200 option 5, place a notice in the paper or shopper and use fliers. Contact your neighbors. Call your local vet clinics.

Christa Stieler

director

Freeborn County Humane Society

Albert Lea