JUST over half of Orange’s lost pets were able to be returned to their owners last month, with two councillors calling on pet owners to adopt more responsible practices to improve that number.
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During April, 97 dogs and 29 cats were brought to Canobolas Family Pet Hospital or found by Orange City Council rangers, a total of 126 animals.
Of those, 55 dogs and three cats were returned to their families within a day or two of being found.
However, pets whose owners could not be found were sent to a private pound, from where a further seven dogs were returned to their original owners, and 20 cats and 21 dogs were successfully re-homed.
Orange mayor Reg Kidd said the number of animals going straight home to their owners could be vastly improved by microchipping animals.
“It’s a sad reality that if your pet isn’t microchipped then it becomes very difficult to get your furry friend back home to you,” he said.
“We’ve had a great deal of success with the council’s Reuniting Orange Pets Facebook page but sometimes it isn’t enough.”
Twenty-one animals in council care had to be euthanised because of health or behavioural concerns.
Three puppies had parvovirus, one dog had an advanced cancer, a cat had two broken hind legs, another was suffering from a spinal injury and a third arrived at the clinic barely alive.
Another two animals suffered significant health problems from neglect after their previous owners had died.
Eight dogs and one cat were euthanised because behavioural concerns left them unsuitable for rehoming and one dog was a restricted breed, while two cats had become aggressive after being abandoned at a house when the tenants moved out.
Council companion animals committee chairman and councillor Stephen Nugent said it could have been prevented with proper care, vaccination and desexing.
“Especially when I hear that puppies have come in with parvovirus, it is sad because it’s an easily preventable deadly disease,” he said.
Cr Nugent said it was unsafe for the council to rehome animals with a risk of attacking their new owners.