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Reporting a stray dog

Lost and stray dogs can be danger and cause concern for those using streets and highways, but there is help to deal with problems.

How do I report a stray dog?

If you find a stray dog, you can contact your council and they will collect the dog (if it is from a known location).

Alternatively, you can take the dog to the police station nearest to where you found the dog.

To report a stray dog, you may be asked to provide the following information:

  • your contact details (name, address, telephone, email)
  • a description of the dog, for example, its type, colour, size, age
  • the time and date when you found the dog
  • where you found the dog
  • where the dog should be collected from

If you have a complaint regarding dogs straying on school premises or interfering with the flow of traffic, your council will deal with this urgently.

Please note that it is a criminal offence not to report a stray dog.

The following link will let you enter details of where you live and then take you to your local authority website where you can find out more.

How can your council's dog warden service help?

The dog warden service aims to deal with problems caused by the four main symptoms of irresponsible dog ownership:

  • noisy dogs
  • aggressive dogs
  • dog fouling
  • straying dogs

If a dog is caught straying, dog wardens try to trace the owners and notify them as to where their dog may be collected. Any stray dogs are kept safely for up to seven days.

Any complaint regarding dogs straying on school premises or interfering with the flow of traffic are dealt with urgently. All complaints about dogs are responded to as quickly as possible.

If a complaint cannot be dealt with by the dog warden, it is passed quickly to the appropriate agency (for example, the Police or RSPCA).

What are the duties of the dog warden?

The dog warden service will:

  • respond to all complaints as soon as possible
  • respond urgently to sightings of stray dogs on school premises or interfering with traffic
  • collect and may return your stray dog the first time it is collected, provided it has a collar and address tag
  • collect all other strays and keep them safely for a specified period for collection by the owner (subject to the payment of a fee)
  • promote responsible dog ownership through talks to Primary schools and other groups
  • provide, if possible, supplies of award winning "doggy bags" to dog owners - (there may be a charge for this)
  • enforce dog-related by-laws and the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996
  • microchip dogs in promotion of responsible ownership

To find out more about law and dog ownership, use the link below.

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