There have been no updates on Buckley's story in the paper, but I got this reply from the RSPCA giving its side of the story. (Microchipping isn't compulsory in Australia, I didn't know that. But then again, our cats' microchip information is kept by a volunteer organisation, so I guess it's not a government priority )

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Thank you for your letter regarding ‘Buckley’.

This particular case highlights some very significant issues that are important in being a responsible pet owner.

The first issue is the need to Register your animal. Not only is it a legal requirement for pets to be registered and wear identification, but the tag will assist in the return of a pet in the event that it does find itself in a Pound or Shelter. Unfortunately ‘Buckley’ was not registered and was not wearing any tag.

The RSPCA has continued to maintain pressure on Government to make microchipping on all pet dogs and cats compulsory. Every animal that is adopted from the RSPCA is now microchipped. Just prior to Christmas, we were able to reunite a family and their dog which had been missing for over 12 months because it had been microchipped. A dog in England was reunited with its owners after five years. Although not a legal requirement at this stage, it is a security measure for being a responsible owner. ‘Buckley’ was scanned at the Shelter, but she had not been microchipped.

Another important point is not to leave it for a day or two to see if your animal turns up of it’s own accord. It could be sitting in the Pound or Shelter waiting to be reclaimed. The Wangaratta Shelter was the nearest one to where the dog was picked up by the Council Ranger.

We urge people to contact their local Pound or Shelter to see if their animal is there. Sometimes telephone descriptions can be quite vague and the animal may be hard to recognize from the details supplied. ‘Buckley’s’ owner did not telephone the Shelter until the Monday afternoon of the 23 December. ‘Buckley’ had been adopted in the morning of that day.

Under legislation, all animal shelters and pounds are required to hold unregistered lost or stray animals for eight days before being available for adoption. ‘Buckley’ was received on the 13 December and adopted on the 23 December.

The Wangaratta Shelter did publicise in the Wangaratta Chronicle on the Friday 20 December that a Kelpie Cross Female, six months was being held in the Pound. Buckley is, in contrast, said to be 18 months old.

One of the many hard line decisions the RSPCA must sometimes make is to euthanase an animal because it has not been adopted. We are always very pleased when our Shelters are able to rehouse an animal, as was the Wangaratta shelter in this case.

The RSPCA has and will continue to promote responsible pet ownership and management. Thank you for taking the time and effort to write to us. We will take the opportunity to review the way we work, to ensure that the cause of animal welfare is advanced in the best way possible.