My dog was stolen

Question

My dog was stolen, and a police report was filed. Animal control found her and took her to the shelter. They never posted anything about finding her, nor did they scan her for a microchip. Thirteen days later, they contacted me via social media after seeing a post I had made about my missing dog. I explained that she was stolen and that I had a police report, but they said they didn't care about the report and that I had to pay a $200 impound fee plus $15 per day. I don't have that much money, and even if I did, are they legally allowed to require me to pay in order to get my stolen dog back?

Answer

Impound fees are commonly charged. After all, the shelter needs to house, feed, and care for impounded animals and that costs money. I cannot say if the impound fee being charged is an allowable amount in your area. Worth noting is a Texas law which states: “As soon as practicable after an animal is placed in the custody of an animal shelter or a releasing agency …including an animal rescue organization, the shelter, agency, or organization shall scan the animal to determine whether a microchip is implanted in the animal.” Had the shelter contacted you earlier, the impound fee may have been less. However, very important to note is that people who fail to retrieve their animals from shelters in a timely manner and pay the impound fee being charged may lose rights to their animals. Animals not retrieved on time are often rehomed and, depending on the shelter, sometimes euthanized. It is often much more prudent to pay the impound fee and try to get compensated later through negotiations or a lawsuit. In addition to filing a police report, the person who stole the dog, if known, can be sued to try to get compensated for the impound fee and more.