Dogs: lost and stray

If you find a lost dog, check if it has an identity tag. If it does, contact the owner and arrange for them to collect it.

A stray dog can only be collected once contained. All stray dogs are checked for identification and micro-chips and the council keeps a register of all lost and found dogs to aid reuniting them. By law, dogs over 8 weeks old should be micro-chipped. The microchip should hold the owner's most up to date contact details in an approved database. 

If a dog without a microchip is found or reported to us, we will work with the owner to ensure that it is micro chipped as appropriate. 

Reporting a lost dog

Please contact the Council if you find a stray dog and can't contact its owner. We do not recommend using unofficial dog warden services and please be cautious using social media sites. The Police will not accept stray dogs from the public. Please report all found dogs to the council so we can carry out appropriate checks and aid their swift return to their owners.

If you can't find the owner, please call us on 01354 654321. Outside of normal working hours (09:00 - 16:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00 - noon Saturday) it may take longer to speak to someone, but please hold the line and listen to all options carefully. You can also use our online form, but please note this is only monitored during our normal working hours. 

When contacting us, it would help if you could tell us the following information (if known):

• If the dog is found, stray, lost or missing
• Breed of dog
• Gender of dog
• Age of dog
• Colour of dog and any identifying marks that are unique
• Any identification on dog (e.g collar)
• Your contact details
• Details of the owner

If the dog is lost, it would be helpful to know if it is micro chipped and where it was last seen (date, time and place)

If the dog is stray, it would be helpful to know where the dog is for us to collect.

Reclaiming a lost dog

To reclaim a lost dog, please call us on 01354 654321.  Outside of normal working hours (09:00 - 16:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00 - noon Saturday) it may take longer to speak to someone, but please hold the line and listen to all options carefully. You can also use our online form, but please note this is only monitored during our normal working hours. 

Dogs are kept in kennels for seven days. It will only be returned to its owner once all fees, fines and costs have been paid. These are:

• a £47 fine
• £15 admin fee
• £10 kennelling fee for each day (including part days)
• Any other essential costs incurred, such as veterinary fees.

If the dog is not claimed within 7 days it will be made available for re homing to the public. This means it could have a new legal owner.