Action Line #81103–Stray Dog

  • Published
  • By Anonymous
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Complaint: 

Last night I found a dog running lost, hungry, and scared on base. He had a collar and a leash that had evidently broken off whatever he was restrained to. The dog was clearly domesticated and came easily to me - so I put her in my car and called the Law Enforcement Desk. I was surprised to hear we don't actually have animal control and the Turks take care of that. The airman said he had to call CE and CE would "try" to contact Turkish animal control.

I asked the vet clinic today about what should happen and they said the Turks should scan for a microchip and turn over to the vet clinic if a chip is found. If there is no chip found......even the vet clinic states they are unsure what happens to the dog. The person that answered the phone said they heard they go to an animal shelter or they are dumped in Adana; she was unsure which is true

I am concerned because as a pet owner I am unclear what could happen to my animal if lost and also because I may have involuntarily caused a dog to have been dumped in Adana last night. I would have kept the dog and taken it to the vet clinic on my own had I been clear about procedures.

Could you please take the time to accurately describe animal control procedures on base on what should be done when lost dogs are found without tags?

Response: 

As a pet owner myself, you can be sure I want to make sure all lost pets get returned to their owners. 

Short answer: if you find a lost pet you should contact CE Service Call at 676-7008 (manned 24/7).

Long answer: Stray dogs and cats are captured in accordance with IABI44-101, Control of Animals on Incirlik Air Base. The 39 CES Pest Management section is responsible for removing stray animals from the base and returning lost pets to their owners. When a stray dog or cat is located on Incirlik Air Base the parties involved must contact CE Service Call at 676-7008. This number is manned 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. During regular duty hours, 0730 -1630, Monday thru Friday, CE Service Call will dispatch Pest Management personnel who will respond to the area where the stray animal was sighted. If a dog or cat is considered by pest management personnel to be "too aggressive", the on-call contracted Turkish veterinarian will be called to the scene to aid pest management personnel in the capture. If after duty hours, CE Service Call will send a DO-IT-NOW (DIN) truck. The DIN mechanic will respond to the scene to put "eyes on" the stray in question. If the DIN mechanic finds the stray, they will keep "eyes on" the stray and recall pest management personnel to come capture the animal. If the DIN mechanic is unable to locate the stray, they will report the location the stray was last sighted, and on the next duty day, pest management will set traps in the area to capture the animal. If the stray animal is caught, it will be taken to the Incirlik Stray Animal Control Facility near the old stables.

Once the Stray Animal Control Facility receives the animal, the Turkish veterinarian there will scan the animal for a microchip to see if there is an owner. If the animal is owned, Stray Animal Control Facility personnel will notify the base veterinarian so the owners can be located and informed that their animal has been found. If there is no microchip and it appears the animal is a stray, the animal is sent to the Adana Stray Animal Control Facility where it is held for rabies quarantine. Finally, if the animal shows no symptoms of rabies, they get spayed/neutered, vaccinated and released.

Everyone should call CE Service Call at 676-7008 as soon as a stray animal is seen so that traps may be set without delay. Stray dogs or other animals should never be fed or informally adopted.