Stray Dogs
From the 6th April, only local authorities will have legal responsibility to deal with stray dogs. The Police no longer have any responsibility under the new legislation. Many callers mistakenly contact local veterinary surgeons, the RSPCA or other animal charities asking for their help.
Finding a stray dog
If you happen to come across a stray dog, it is important to make sure it is secure. After this, please contact the Dog Warden who will liase with you a suitable time for collection. There are certain do's and don't for finders of strays, they are:
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- Contact the council, as soon as possible
- Secure the dog to ensure that the dog warden doesn't have a wasted journey
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- Take the dog out of its area. Contact the local authority where the dog was found.
- Take the dog to a vetinarery surgeon. If this happens, the finder is responsible for any fee's incurred from the vet.
- Pass the dog on to a third party or give the dog away.
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Dog owners
Dog owners have a legal responsibility to stop their dogs straying and are also required by law to ensure their dog wears a collar and tag with the owner's name and address. Permanent methods of identification, such as a microchip or tattoo, are also highly recommended. If your dog is detained by this Authority, you will be charged the statutory fine, along with any veterinary costs, kennelling fees and admin charges. The present schedule of fees are as follows:
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£
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| Statutory Fine |
£25.00 |
| Kennelling (per day or part thereof) |
£11.50 |
| Administration |
£10.00 |
Reporting your dog as lost
It is important that you inform the local authority as soon as possible that your dog has gone missing. This enables dog and owner to be reunited quicker. When reporting your dog missing, we will require the following information:
- Details of where and when the dog went missing
- Breed of the dog
- Colour
- Sex
- Distinctive markings
- If the dog had a collar and tag or was chipped or tattooed
Claiming your dog
- If the local authority has detained your dog, the first thing you need to do is obtain a 'release certificate' from the Williton Council Office. A release certificate is granted after the relevant fines and costs have been paid for.
- Once you have the release certificate, you can collect your dog from the council kennels. No dog will be released from the kennels without the release certificate. Details of the council kennels will be given at the time of contacting the council.
Out of hours service
The Council now provides a stray dog service at the weekends. The arrangements have been made joinly with the other Somerset Authorities which means that only one centilised kennels is used. The Council's out of hours collection service runs from 9am - 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
You can contact the Council to inform them that you have lost or have got a stray dog out of these hours by ringing the same telephone number - 01643 703704.
The Council's designated 'Out of Hours' kennels are:
St. Giles Kennels, Wrantage, TAUNTON, Somerset, TA3 6DJ
Do not contact them direct if you have a stray dog.
If you have had your dog taken to the kennels out of hours, there will be a fine and fees which will need to be paid before you are able to collect your dog.
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Please call the Council on 01643 703704 to report your dog missing or to inform of a confined stray dog that needs collection.