Lost and stray dogs

If you have found a dog - and you are not able to return it to its owner - please contact us (see information below).

We can collect any contained stray or lost dogs, via our dog control collection service. Our service operates between 8.30am - 9pm every day (apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day).

If you find a dog outside of these hours, please keep it with you overnight if possible. We will contact you to arrange to collect the dog as soon as possible within the above hours.

Please note that we cannot collect dogs that have not been contained. If you see a dog on the main road that's posing a danger to traffic, please phone the police.

Vets in our area have been advised not to take in stray dogs. Please contact us directly.

Contact our dog collection service

1. From Monday to Friday, from 8.45am to 5.00pm, please phone 0300 123 4000 (option 7). On Tuesdays our phone lines open slightly later from 10.00am.
2. At all other times, please phone 0808 168 7794

Please note that when we collect a dog, someone must be present.

When you contact us to report a dog that you have found, we require the following information:

• Your name, address and contact details
• The breed, sex and colour of the dog
• Whether the dog has a collar and or ID tag
• Any distinguishing features
• The time and place you found it

What we do with the dogs we collect

When we collect a dog, we take it to West End Farm Kennels. They will be kept there for seven days, to be reclaimed by their owner.

If a dog is not collected within seven days, it becomes the responsibility of the kennels - they will try their best to rehome it.

If you have lost your dog, please phone us to let us know. You are also able to report a lost dog via our online form (where you'll be able to upload a photograph of your dog):

Report a lost dog

When you report a missing dog, please try to include the following information:

• The breed, sex and colour of the dog
• Whether the dog has a collar and or ID tag
• Any distinguishing features
• The time and place you lost it

We will let you know if we have collected a dog which matches your description. If we haven't, we will keep your report on record and contact you if we receive any relevant reports.

You are also able to contact our kennelling provider West End Farm Kennels directly.

You may also want to:

• contact local vets and animal shelters
• contact other councils which border our district
• register your dog with Dog Lost

When we collect a dog, we take it to West End Farm Kennels. They will be kept there for seven days, to be reclaimed by their owner.

All dogs are scanned for microchips and - where possible - we will contact the owner, to let them know that we have their dog.

If your dog has been taken to our kennels, you will have to pay a fee to reclaim it. 

The fee will depend on:

• whether your dog was wearing an ID tag
• whether your dog has been collected before
• how long your dog has been at the kennels

The fee also include a set fine, which is set by the government.

Please note that the kennels will charge a £2.50 fee for any payments made with a credit card (there is no charge for debit cards).

If a dog is not collected within seven days, it becomes the responsibility of the kennels - they will try their best to rehome it.

If you would like to adopt a dog that we have collected, please contact West End Farm Kennels. They will be able to provide you with details about any dogs that are looking for a new home.

If you need your dog to be rehomed, please do not do this via social media.

Sadly, every year dogs pass into our care following abandonment by owners who found their dog via social media. This can be very traumatic for the animal. It is also more difficult for us to rehome a dog when we do not know their history.

Please use a legitimate rehoming organisation - such as the Blue Cross - to rehome your dog. They will match your dog with a suitable owner, and will make sure that they go to a good home.