Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 149
When does a dog become a stray?
Basically the moment a dog is out unsupervised in the public area. A dog can also be seized with the permission of a land owner where a dog is straying on private land where it is unauthorised to do so.
What happens to a dog if it is seized by the dog warden?
The warden will check the dog to see if it has been micro chipped or has a tag that displays the owner details. If the warden is able to locate an owner from the identification then, they may, in some circumstances, return it to it’s owner providing they are able to make immediate contact with them.
If immediate contact cannot be made; a notification will be left at the address informing the owner that the dog has been seized, where practicable, and placed in a kennel.
If a dog owner however has previous for allowing dogs to stray then the dog will be kennelled and not released until the sum of £85.00 has been paid. The same applies where contact cannot be made immediately with an owner where a dog has identification and no previous .
There are occasions where the warden is unable to scan a dog for identification due to the dog behaving aggressively or acting in such a manner where a reading cannot be obtained. Again the dog would be kennelled and the owner would have to pay for it’s return.
The main thing above all else is that the moment the dog has been seized it is in safe hands. Seizure of a dog prevents your dog being stolen, involved in a serious accident, causing an accident, being subject of an attack from other animals and so on.
If my dog is seized by the Warden how long do I have to collect it?
The dog will be kennelled for seven days from seizure. After seven days the dog becomes the property of the kennel holding the dog who may then wish to sell the dog on.
What should I do if I find a stray?
If you find a stray dog, you are required by law to return it to the owner or to contact our dog warden service Monday to Friday between the hours of 08.00-17.00. If you find a stray dog outside of normal office hours please contact Animal Wardens 0845 2417253 who provide out of hours service including weekends and bank holidays.