What to do if you find a stray dog, or have lost your dog
Check our lost or found dog lists
To report a found dog or if you have lost your dog please visit the website for our specialist contractor Animal Warden Services.
They maintain an up to date list of all dogs that have been reported as lost or found.
Stray dogs
If you’ve found a stray dog, and it's confined, our contracted Kennels can collect it. They’ll collect the dog with the aim of collecting within two and a half hours, and it will need to be confined until they reach you.
Please note - they can only collect stray dogs between 8am and 4pm.
To report a stray dog you’ll need:
- your contact details
- the location of the dog
- a description of the dog including it's sex, breed and colour
- to upload a photo of the dog (if possible)
Lost dogs
If you’ve lost your dog, we can take the details and put them on our lost dog register.
To report a lost dog you'll need:
- your contact details
- the location of the dog
- a description of the dog including it's sex, breed and colour
- to upload a photo of the dog (if possible)
What happens if you have lost your dog and it has been found as a stray
We will try to reunite you with your dog as quickly as possible it may be that you can collect it from the person who has found it. If the council has taken control of your dog through Animal Warden Services and you live in the area of the council, we will try and return it to you. If we can not find you your dog will be taken to Kennels.
The law says that you are required to have a collar with identification and contact details as well as up to date details on a microchip embedded on your dog. This makes sure that we can reunite you and your dog as soon as possible. Taking a dog to kennels is the last option we want to use.
The return of your dog does require you to pay the contractor the costs incurred and these are set out below. They will direct you to pay via their web site or phone. Once the charges are paid your dog will be returned. We do not accept cash payments for the return of stray dogs.
Your dog will be kennelled at one of our kennels. Where the arrangements have been made for the collection of your dog and all of the costs and charges for a stray have been paid you will be given the details for the collection of your dog.
Stray dogs can only be collected from the kennels between 8am and 4pm, seven days per week.
What happens next?
After seven days, all stray dogs that have not been returned to their owners are passed to the RSPCA for rehoming. For more information on this, or to enquire about rehoming a dog, please contact the RSPCA on 01553 618889.
If your lost dog is taken to the Kennels before you’re reunited, you’ll incur a fine. The current fine tariff is shown below.
Charges for the collection of stray dogs
| Charge | Cost |
|---|---|
| Local authority expenses | £72.00 |
| Government fine | £25.00 |
| Total (if returned the same day) | £97.00 |
| Total (if taken to kennels) | £97.00 + kennel fees |
For any stray dogs that are taken to kennels, there are kennel fees of £10.00 + VAT per day or part day.
Dogs that are not collected at the end of a seven-day period will automatically be liable for re-homing.
Stray dogs can only be collected from the kennels between 8am and 4pm, seven days per week.