Archived press release

Date Published: 28/03/08

Reporting stray dogs

Aylesbury Vale residents reporting stray dogs from April should contact the district council, rather than the police, under a new law which transfers responsibility to local authorities who have previously shared the work.

The change will come in from 6 April and will mean Aylesbury Vale District Council will be tasked with collecting stray dogs out of office hours as well as during the normal working day.
In the past, especially outside normal working hours when the council dog warden was off duty, anyone finding a stray dog would have to take it to a police station. Now anyone finding a stray should call the council and arrangements will be made for it to be picked up.

Injured dogs found outside office hours should be reported to the RSPCA. People should continue to contact the police regarding dangerous dogs, dogs worrying livestock, and to report stolen dogs.

Dog owners are being encouraged to ensure that their pet wears a collar and identification tag at all times. By law, all dogs in public should wear a collar and tag giving the name and address of the owner.

Over the past 12 months, the district council has picked up 30 strays with identification and immediately returned them to their owners. If the owner of the dog cannot be identified the dog is placed in a kennel and the owner required to pay the kennelling bill plus other costs before they can take their pet home.

Councillor Sir Beville Stanier, Cabinet Member for Environment and Health, said: “We are reminding dog owners to ensure their pet can be easily identified at all times in case it goes missing. It causes great distress to both the dog and the owner if they are separated for long periods.

“By having a clear identification collar you can ensure that, should the dog be picked up by the council’s dog warden service, it can be returned safely and quickly.”
Dog owners also have the option of having their pet microchipped. It takes a matter of seconds to insert a tiny chip – the size of a grain of rice – into the animal. Once the chip is in place, the dog can be scanned to reveal the unique identification number, which will be recorded on the National Pet Register’s 24-hour database with all the owner’s details.

If residents find a dog or want to report a stray they should call 01296 585605. This number is continually manned 24 hours a day.

For more information about microchipping, please call the council’s dog warden on 01296 585200 or email abolton@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk.