• Rubbish, waste and recycling
• Streetscene
• Landscape and Countryside
• Neighbourhood issues
  • Noise
  • Pest Control
  • Bonfires and smoke
  • Drains and Sewers
  • Rubbish that's a risk to health
  • Street Wardens
  • Dog warden service
    • Stray dogs
  • Community Development Team
  • Illegal encampments
• Climate Change
• Private water supplies

Stray dogs

The council has a duty under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (s149) to collect and detain stray dogs found on the street. Owners have seven days to claim their dogs and those that are not claimed are found a new home.

If your dog is missing, or if you happen to contain a stray dog, please contact the council by calling 01707 357000 or by email at contact-whc@welhat.gov.uk and we will notify the dog warden. Out of office hours, please ring 0845 241 7253.

If we find your dog:

The charges for the return of each stray dog is:

All efforts will be made to reunite micro-chipped dogs, or dogs wearing collars with tags (owners details must be up-to-date and accurate) with their owners before being taken to the kennels.

• If this is possible, the dog will be returned free of charge.
• If this is not possible, then the owner will be charged for fees incurred; administration, and kennelling if it was needed. The collection/return fee will be waived.
• Should this situation persist, the full charges will apply even if the dog is correctly chipped/has collar and tag, from the third occurrence onwards.
• If the information on the collar/micro-chip is not current, then the full charges will apply.

For the safety of their staff, Animal Wardens will not accept cash after 9pm. If you want to pay cash and reclaim your dog in the evening, this must happen before 9pm. Card payments and the return of dogs can take place up until 11pm.

If you find a stray dog:

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 150 requires the finder of a stray dog to:

• return the dog to its owner; or
• contact the local authority for the area in which the dog was found.

If the finder fails to take one of these courses of action he will have committed an offence and would be liable, upon conviction, to a fine. If the finder requests to keep the dog, he must supply the officer with his contact details and details of the dog. The officer is required to keep a record of these details. Regulations require that the officer makes appropriate enquiries to ascertain that the finder is a suitable person to keep the dog.

The finder must then be informed verbally and in writing that he is obliged to keep the dog (if unclaimed by the owner) for a month and that failure to comply with that obligation is a criminal offence.