Lost and stray dogs
On any one day in the UK there can be half a million straying dogs. These cause problems such as road accidents; attacks on people; attacks on other dogs, cats or pets; fouling in public areas or private gardens; damaging property and knocking over bins.
What we do
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on councils to collect stray dogs. A stray dog is classified as any dog that is unsupervised in a public place. Our dog wardens will try to return the dog home if the owner can be found. The dog will otherwise be taken to a kennels contracted to us. We probably collect about 200 dogs a year, the majority of which are claimed by their owners.
Owners claiming their dog will pay the charges listed below. All the monies must be paid before it is returned.
Any unclaimed dogs are kept by us for 7 clear days after which time the dog may be rehomed, given to a dog rescue society or destroyed.
East Hampshire District Council has never destroyed a healthy dog to date.
Dog owner's responsibilities
The Control of Dogs Order 1992 makes it an offence for a dog not to wear a collar bearing the name and address of the owner. Failure to observe this law could lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £2,000.
Remember that you are liable for any damage that your dog causes (even if you are not present to be aware of it!)
How you can help
There are several things you can do to prevent the problem of lost or stray dogs:
- Ensure that your dog has a collar with an up-to-date tag at all times
- Make sure that your garden is escape-proof before you leave your dog alone there
- Do not allow your dog to run loose on its own. This is irresponsible and unfair on other residents
- Report dogs that regularly stray to the dog wardens
- Consider having your dog microchipped
- Make sure you regularly exercise your dog
If you find a dog
During office hours
Report it to the Dog Wardens on 01730 234360, who will collect the dog as soon as possible. It is also worth informing your local vets and, if you are close to the boundary of a district, the neighbouring borough or district councils’ dog wardens.
Between 9am and 5pm weekends and bank holidays
Phone our reception centre at Whitehill on 07907 911069. If the dog has been reported missing, they will ask the owner to contact you to retrieve the dog; if not, you may arrange to deliver the dog to the reception centre.
If you lose a dog
During office hours
Report it to the Dog Wardens on 01730 234360. It is also worth informing your local vets and, if you are close to the boundary of a district, the neighbouring borough or district council dog wardens.
Between 9am and 5pm weekends and bank holidays
Phone our reception centre at Whitehill on 07907 911069. If the dog has been reported found, they will let you know where and when it can be collected. There will be charges to pay if your dog was collected by the dog warden or taken to the reception centre.
Charges
1. Owners collecting dogs will pay full kennelling rates directly to the kennels for every day or part-day that the dog was there.
2. Owners will pay any veterinary bills incurred while the dog was detained.
3. If the dog bears no current ID, owners will pay a £25 fee (in accordance with section 149(5) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990). However, this will be waived if they instead pay £15 to have the dog microchipped by EHDC.
4. If the dog does bear current ID and has been taken into EHDC care previously within the last 6 months, the owners will pay a £25 fee (in accordance with section 149(5) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990).
5. If the dog was taken to the reception centre outside the Council's normal hours of operation, there will be a charge of £20 to the owners.
All charges must be paid to the kennels or, if the owner prefers, directly to the Council before the dog is released. Please note that the kennels accept cash or cheques only; if paying by cheque, please take more than one cheque with you as some money is payable direct to the kennels, some to EHDC.
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