Dogs
Online Services
- report dog fouling
- report a dangerous dog
- report any dog or litter bin issues
- lost dog
- request a dead animal is collected
- report a barking dog noise nuisance
Found a dog?
If you have found a stray dog, please contact Environmental and Consumer Protection Services. You will be asked to describe the dog and a Consumer Protection Officer will come and collect it during normal office hours, that is between 08:00 hours and 17:00 hours.
If you find a dog outside of the above hours you will need to phone 0800 506050 to report it.
We will retain the dog. Details will be kept on a register and enquiries will be matched to re-unite stray dog and owner. If the current owner does not claim the dog, it will be re-housed with suitable owners after seven days.
Lost and stray dogs
If you have lost your dog please phone us first on 01202 261700. You will be asked for a description of your dog. If we have your dog, you can be re-united with it quickly, although there is a fee for its return - contact us for details on the number above.
Return of stray dog to owner - £51 (vets/kennelling fees additional)
Return 2nd time within 12 months where no ID - £75
Return of stray dog including micro-chipping - £57.50
Delivery of stray dog to owner - £15.50
Kennelling charges - £10.00 (per day)
We also advise you to contact:
- the local police to find out if it has been taken to the police
station. - the neighbouring councils particularly if you live near council borders.
- local rescue centres such as RSPCA Ashley Heath . If we don't have your dog, the details will be kept on a register in case it is handed in and then you will be contacted.
Please note – If you do not claim your dog after seven days of us retaining it, the dog will be re-housed with suitable owners.
Preventing your dog from becoming astray
- By law, you are required to ensure your dog has a collar and an identification tag.
- Have your dog microchipped.
Dog identification
It is a legal requirement to inscribe or attach a dog owners name and address on the dog’s collar. In this way a neighbour may return your dog to you without our Officers getting involved and paying a fee. We also provide a micro chipping service.
Dangerous dogs
Where a dog has harmed or threatened to harm humans and in some cases other animals, our Officers may be able to take action to deal with the incident to prevent it happening again.
Dog owners are responsible for ensuring that their dogs are kept under proper control so as not to cause a nuisance or a danger to people or other animals. Owners should know how their dog will behave when coming across people and animals it is not familiar with.
If your dog is aggressive or hard to control then in order to prevent it harming or annoying other people or their animals you should consider keeping it on a lead and muzzling it if necessary. It is essential to get your dog trained and to follow any recommendations by your vet.
Dangerous breeds
It is an offence to own or keep the following dog types unless they are on the index of exempted dogs and comply with its requirements.
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Fila Braziliero
Should you have one of these types of dogs it must be on the index of exempt dogs and kept in accordance with its requirements including keeping it on a lead and muzzled when in a public place. For more information see ‘The Control of Dogs’ in the Animal Welfare part of DEFRA’s website www.defra.gov.uk .
If you do not meet these requirements you may be found guilty of a criminal offence and a Court may order the animal to be destroyed.
Dog attacks and aggression
Should you or your animal be attacked by a dog please report the matter to our offices on Tel: 01202 261700 or email us. You may be required to give a witness statement for use in court.
We do not have the power to force dog owners whose dog has injured your animal to pay your vet bills. It is more likely that we can take action concerning a dog attack particularly on another dog where we can obtain witness statements from independent witnesses.
Unfortunately, due to previous court decisions, we may not be able to take action against dog owners whose dog has injured small animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits as courts have previously ruled that this is in a dog’s nature.
Dog owners should be aware that if their dog has been proved to be dangerous and not under proper control the court can order the dog’s destruction even when it hasn’t been dangerous to humans. If your dog has injured another person the courts have the power to imprison its owner and disqualify them from owning a dog for as long as they think necessary.
Our Officers have the power to seize dogs they believe are dangerous in public places and can gain access to private property by court warrant to obtain a dog that they believe has been dangerously out of control in a public place.
Noisy dogs
We can investigate complaints about dog noise and if the problem is persistent serve abatement notices on owners requiring them to keep their dog’s noise to an acceptable level.
Failure to comply with such a notice is a criminal offence and if a problem persists we can obtain a court warrant and seize the dog pending a court case.
We do not expect dogs not to make any noise and can provide advice on minimising dog barking. The Dogs Trust charity provide written advice on dog barking as well as dog welfare on their website. If you should not wish to register and donate to them we can send you a copy of their dog barking leaflet.
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