Stray Dogs Costing Newtown Hundreds

NEWTOWN SQUARE–Stray dogs called in by residents are costing Newtown Township hundreds of a dollars a year, according to Newtown Police Chief Chris Lunn.

"It happens, but last year was the first year the Delaware County SPCA wasn't taking dogs," he said. "In December...we got a bill for $500 for two stray dogs [taken] to the SPCA."

Lunn said that since Delaware County is no longer taking stray dogs, the township is charged $325 per dog taken to the Chester County SPCA (CCSPCA).

Lunn said he wanted to remind residents to have proper tags and collars on dogs so they can be returned and costs to the township can be avoided.

"We are asking that all dog owners ensure that their dogs wear a collar with a tag identifying the home address of the dog," he said. "That way a stray dog can be returned to the owner without getting the Animal Warden involved."

There were $4,200 worth of costs to the township relating to stray dog pickups in 2012, Lunn said.

According to Media Patch, there were 667 dogs from Delaware County were brought to the CCSPCA in 2012. CCSPA is contracted to handle strays from the area until 2017.