Dog Warden Service

About the Service

The Council has a legal duty to deal with stray dogs. This duty is fulfilled by the Dog Warden Service whose aim is help you if you lose your dog and to help prevent stray dogs from being a danger in traffic or a nuisance to people.

In particular, the service aims to deal with problems caused by two of the main symptoms of irresponsible dog ownership:-

• Aggressive dogs
• Straying dogs             

The first time a dog is caught straying, the dog wardens will try to trace the owners and return it.

Any other stray will be kept safely for up to seven days.

Any complaint regarding dogs straying on school premises or interfering with the flow of traffic will be dealt with the same day.

Any complaints about dogs will be responded to as quickly as possible, but always within 5 working days. The Dog Warden will act in the strictest confidentiality and keep you informed about what they are doing if you so request.

Some complaints cannot be dealt with by the Dog Warden. These will be passed quickly to the appropriate agency (e.g. the Police or RSPCA).

The Dog Warden will ensure the Council's legal duties are met, so far as dogs are concerned. They will also regularly patrol areas covered by dog-related by-laws, and put up anti-dog fouling stickers where needed.

The Dog Warden Service:

• Responds to all complaints as soon as possible but always within 5 working days.
• Responds urgently to sightings of stray dogs on school premises or interfering with traffic.
• Collects and returns your stray dog free of charge the first time it is collected, provided it has a collar and address tag.
• Collects all other strays and keeps them safely for a maximum of seven days for collection by the owner (subject to the payment of a fee). We then work with local Re-homing charities and have an excellent record of successful home placements.
• Promotes responsible dog ownership through talks to Primary schools and other groups.
• Provides information on microchipping of dogs.