News
Published on 8 November 2011
Archived on 8 December 2011
Stratford-on-Avon District Council has recently introduced the Stray/Lost Dog Finder to its website, a free service developed by the Dog Warden Service to make it easier to search for missing pets.
Dog owners can now quickly report their dog as missing on the District Council's Lost Dog Finder web page – www.stratford.gov.uk/straydogs - through simply filling in an online form. When a lost dog is found by a member of the public, its description and location is immediately uploaded onto the same virtual platform, giving the dog owner the opportunity to view and locate their missing dog at any time.
If a dog is still missing, owners can now regularly check the website to see if their dog has been found saving time having to call the District Council's Contact Centre for updates.
As soon as the dog warden picks up the dog from where it was found it will be routinely checked for I.D. in the form of a tag (which by law all dogs must wear when out in public under The Control of Dogs Order 1992) or scanned for a microchip. If no I.D. is present the dog will be taken to holding kennels where the owner will need to pay a £50 fine, if the dog has I.D., the owner will be contacted immediately and returned to its owner.
If your dog has been found and is listed on the website, you must call the Contact Centre on 01789 260839 between 8.45am and 5pm Monday to Friday to claim your dog, please be aware, by law your dog only has 7 days to be claimed or else it could be rehomed. You will need to pay the fine and be asked some security questions relating to the dog to make sure it is your dog you are claiming and you will be told where you need to collect your dog from.
Sophie Peacock, Stratford District Council's Animal Welfare Officer says: “With the help of this new online tool, the District Council will continue to make every effort to link dogs identified as strays with dogs reported as missing, making the process less stressful for dog owners. Although the Council is committed to returning stray dogs to their owners, I would like to take this opportunity to remind dog owners to give their pets an identity tag making it easier and less stressful for dogs and owners alike to be reunited."
Stratford-on-Avon District Council
Elizabeth House, Church Street,
Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire,
CV37 6HX
Tel: 01789 267575
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