Dogs and animals
The animal welfare team has a wide variety of roles including licensing, dog fouling, strays and dangerous dogs, nuisance problems such as dogs barking, noisy cockerels or odour from animals.
Dog wardens
Most people know about the dog wardens, who are very involved in promoting dog training and welfare around the district, as well as teaching dog owners to be responsible about clearing up dog mess in public places, and looking after stray and lost dogs.
Find out about dog wardens
We will take any complaints or enquiries about animals; we will not always be able to solve the problem but will usually be able to refer you to someone who can.
Licensing
We also license a number of animal establishments, which we inspect at least once a year. These include pet shops, riding stables, boarding kennels and catteries, a zoo and one establishment keeping dangerous wild animals.
Find out more about animal licensing
Cats
Current legislation has a great deal of control over dogs but hardly any for cats. The only nuisance that can be controlled is if there is a strong unpleasant odour from the property, caused by cats. In extreme circumstances this would be covered as “Statutory Nuisance” by the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Cruelty
The RSPCA deals with cases of cruelty to animals.
See our 'Contacts' page for how to get in touch with the RSPCA
Raising awareness
We are happy to give talks and lectures within the district about our work.
Hampshire County Council's Animal Health Officers
The county council also has a role in animal health and welfare issues. Their Animal Health officers regularly visit farms, abattoirs, and transit points to check that the health of livestock is maintained. Livestock movements are checked and monitored so that animals can be quickly traced in the event of an outbreak of serious notifiable disease, such as foot and mouth or swine fever. They also inspect animal feed producers and test the quality of fertilisers and feeding stuffs.
Visit Hampshire County Council's website for more information