Councils Update Stray Dog Web Pages

Local Authorities have been busily updating their websites with new advice to the public on how to deal with stray dogs. Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 (as of Monday 07 April), the Police no longer have a duty to accept strays taken to a police station, nor will they respond to calls involving stray dogs. These duties now lie solely with Local Councils.

Previous arrangements where the Police provided out of hours stray dog collection/seizure services now no longer apply - so the Local Authority is now obliged to provide this out of hours service. Anyone finding a stray dog must now inform their Local Authority, and has a legal obligation to hand the dog to either its owner or to Local Authority officers.

This out of hours cover does not necessarily apply to the recovery of a lost dog by its owner. It may be that if your dog is impounded on a Friday night, you will not be able to recover it until the following Monday.

Each night that your dog spends in Council care will add to your cost of recovery. Someone hoping to recover an impounded dog can typically expect to pay an initial fee of around £50 plus a daily charge of between £10 and £15, plus any additional vet fees. Councils are obliged to retain your dog for up to 7 days after which it will become their property. Not all Council websites display their charges.

Here for example, is a breakdown of Sheffield City Council's Stray Dog Tariff:

If your dog is seized as a stray dog by the Animal Control Service, the costs for retrieval are as follows:-

First 2 days = £57

3rd Day = £66

4th Day = £75

5th Day = £84

6th Day = £93

7th Day = £102

All of the updated sites now offer a new 24 hour contact telephone number. And all offer the same sensible advice to dog owners - which is: always ensure your dog wears a collar and tag displaying an up to date contact telephone number.