Stray Dogs

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on Councils to collect stray dogs. A stray dog is any dog that is unsupervised in a public place.

The Dog Wardens will try to return a dog home if the owner can be located. The dog will otherwise be taken to a kennels.
Kennelling fees as well as a £25 return-to-owner fee may also be payable before a dog can be returned.
Unclaimed dogs must be kept by the Council for 7 clear days after which time the dog may be re-homed, given to a dog rescue society or destroyed. The Council has never had a healthy dog destroyed.
The Control of Dogs Order 1992 makes it an offence for a dog not to wear a collar bearing the name and address of the owner. Failure to observe this law could lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £2,000.

You must

Ensure that your dog has a collar with an up-to-date tag at all times.
Make sure that your garden is escape-proof before you leave your dog alone there.
Do not allow your dog to run loose on it’s own. This is irresponsible and unfair on other residents.
Report dogs that regularly stray to the Dog Wardens.

What should I do if I find a dog?

Report it to Thanet District Council, for the attention of the Dog Wardens. They will collect the dog as soon as possible.
It is also worth informing your local Police Station, local vets and, if you live near rural areas, neighbouring District.

Call Thanet District Council and wait to be put through to the out of hours service. Give the details to an operator who will pass this on to a Dog Warden to collect the dog on the next working day.
Should you be unable to keep the dog, you should take it to Thanet Police Station, Fort Hill, Margate, which is open 24 hours.

Call Thanet District Council and leave a message for the Dog Wardens as soon as possible. We may already know where your dog is.
Call local Vet’s and your local Police Station.
Make sure that the telephone number you leave is not unattended so that we can let you know immediately if your dog is found.