Stray Dogs

Description of Service

Through the Dog Warden Service, Swindon Borough Council is responsible for the collection of stray dogs within the borough.

A stray dog is defined as being out in a public place without its owner/guardian, or in a place in which they are not permitted to be.

If you find a stray dog you can either refer to us for collection, or look after it yourself.

Reporting a Stray Dog to Us

If you report it to us, we will make arrangements to collect the dog. We will ask you to supply details of:

• Your name and address
• Your contact details
• The location of the dog
• The breed and colour of the dog
• The owner's details (if known)

If the dog's owner cannot be located, it will be taken to one of the kennels used by the Council, where it will be kept for seven days.

If, at the end of this period, the dog is not claimed, the ownership of the dog legally transfers to the Council and efforts are made to re-home it.

It is very rare that we would put a dog to sleep and then only if it was not possible to re-home it due to illness, extreme old age or if it was considered to be dangerous.

Dogs found to be regularly straying will automatically be taken to kennels, and the owner, if known, will be informed.

When a dog is claimed, the owner is required to pay costs (see below), including a statutory fee and kennelling costs. They must contact the Council to pay these.

Even a normally friendly dog can act out of character when straying out of their normal environment; so if you are at all unsure, please contact us to collect the dog rather than tackle it yourself.

Looking After the Dog Yourself

If you wish, you can look after the dog yourself until the owner comes forward.

If you do this, it is a legal requirement that you notify the Council of this at the earliest possible opportunity. We will then make arrangements to visit you to scan the dog for a microchip and take a photograph for identification purposes, in case its owner comes forward.

Please note that, if you decide to retain and look after the dog yourself, you must keep it for one month if the owner does not come forward.

You should also be aware that the owner will always have a legal claim to the dog.

These are requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Service Levels

During Normal Office Hours

The Dog Warden is available to pick up or sieze loose dogs during normal office hours (9.00am-5.00pm). We aim to collect dogs within a day of you calling.

Outside Normal Office Hours

• Between 5pm and 9pm, Monday to Friday and 9am to 9pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, a duty officer can meet you at an acceptance point in the borough to secure the dog safely. We are, however, unable to collect and take dogs away dogs from you during these times.
  
  If you make arrangements to deliver a dog you've found to the Council's Acceptance Centre, a Council Officer will meet you there and will arrange for the dog to be booked in and looked after. Prior arrangement must be made by contact the StreetSmart Team (see Report a Problem below).

• We are also unable to accept dogs between the hours of 9.00pm and 9.00am. If you find a dog during these hours, you must retain it until the Dog Warden is available or the Acceptance Centre kennels are open.

• If, during the periods that a Dog Warden is not available, you are unable to secure a loose and potentially dangerous dog, you should contact Wiltshire Police on 0845 4087000.

• If you are concerned about a sick or an injured stray dog and the Dog Warden is not available, please contact the RSPCA on 08705 555999.

• Please note: Swindon Borough Council cannot accept any responsibility for dogs until they are officially handed over to the Dog Warden Service at the Acceptance Centre.

Reclaim Costs

Owners of dogs taken in as a stray and removed to the dog pound be liable for a statutory charge of £25 plus the kennelling/handling fee charged by the pound.

The kennelling costs will depend on the number of days the dog is kept at the pound as follows:

A dog claimed on the day it is seized is the charge for day '0'.

Report a Problem

If you witness a dog roaming unattended or find a stray dog, you can report it to us in a number of ways:

• Use our online reporting facility. To use this, please follow the link to Report – Stray Dog.

• By telephone to the StreetSmart Team at the Swindon Direct Contact Centre on 01793 445501 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm; Saturday 9am to 1pm) or 01793 466453 (At all other times).

• In person, by visiting the Swindon Direct One-stop-shop. For details of the address and opening hours, please visit the Swindon Direct web page.