Owner 'heartbroken' after runaway dog given away by pound

A dog owner is devastated after a shelter gave her runaway pooch to another family just days after he was handed in.

Amy Burfield’s Maltese spoodle Charlie Brown ran away from her sister’s home in Christchurch, New Zealand, on February 8 and was later handed in to the council’s shelter at Bromley.

Thankfully Charlie Brown was microchipped and the shelter left a message with Ms Burfield, Stuff.co.nz reported.

A relieved Ms Burfield called the shelter but was told she needed to pay $183 (A$177) to collect her dog.

Unable to afford the payment at the time, she claims she agreed with the shelter that the dog would stay in their possession for an extra $10 a day until she was able to pay the fee.

But when she called back 10 days later, she was informed Charlie Brown had been given to another family and she’d be unable to get him back.

“I was not given any warning, any notice, that he would be rehomed. When I said, ‘there must be something I can do’, I was told ‘you are not the dog’s owner’,” Ms Burfield told Stuff.co.nz.

“We are heartbroken.”

Ms Burfield has reluctantly conceded that she will not get her dog back but admits it is a minor consolation that Charlie Brown is at a “good home”.

She has called on the council to change their system which allows them to take ownership of dogs which haven’t been collected within seven days.

According to Christchurch Council’s website, dog impound fees begin at $50 and rise daily.

If the dog isn’t collected within the first week, the council then legally owns the pet.

Yahoo7 News has contacted Christchurch Council for comment on the matter.

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