Dog Warden

The Animal Control Officer will help you if you lose your dog, and aims to help prevent stray dogs from being a danger in traffic or a nuisance to people.

In particular, the service aims to deal with problems caused by the four main symptoms of irresponsible dog ownership:

• Noisy dogs
• Aggressive dogs
• Dog fouling
• Straying dogs

The first time a dog is caught straying, the Animal Control Officer will try to trace the owners and return it.

Any other stray will be kept safely for up to seven days.

Any complaint regarding dogs straying on school premises or interfering with the flow of traffic will be dealt with urgently.

Any complaints about dogs will be responded to as quickly as possible, but always within 24 hours. The Animal Control Officer will act in the strictest confidentiality and keep you informed about what they are doing.

Some complaints cannot be dealt with by the Animal Control Officer. These will be passed quickly to the appropriate agency (e.g. the Police or RSPCA).

The Animal Control Officer will ensure the Council's legal duties are met, so far as dogs are concerned. They will also regularly patrol areas covered by dog related by-laws, and put up anti-dog fouling stickers where needed.

If you have any questions or complaints, please contact the Animal Control Officer.

School Talks

Part of our job is educational. Primary Schools in Three Rivers can arrange for the Animal Control Officer to visit and talk to pupils about all aspects of responsible dog ownership.  If you are a teacher at a school in the Three Rivers district, you can e-mail us for further details.

Tag your dog!

Your dog must wear a tag by law when out in a public place.  Failure to do so will result in a £25 statutory fine.

The first time we catch your dog straying we will return it to you, free of charge. But we can only do this if it is wearing a tag and the owner is at home.

If we catch a stray dog, and we can't trace the owner, we will keep it in boarding kennels at your expense. If you do not report your dog missing within seven days, you will lose the right to reclaim it, and we will try to re-home it.

Fouling Legislation!

The Dog (fouling of land) Act 1996 came into force on 1st May 1997.

This Act means that it is illegal to fail to clear up after your dog if it fouls any land which is open to the air and to which the public have access.

The penalty for contravening the Act is a £50 "on the spot" fine or prosecution in the magistrates court.

The Dog Warden Service:

• Responds to all complaints as soon as possible but always within 24 hours.
• Responds urgently to sightings of stray dogs on school premises or interfering with traffic.
• Collects and return your stray dog free of charge the first time it is collected, provided it has a collar with an address tag and the owner is at home.
• Collects all other strays and keeps them safely for a maximum of seven days for collection by the owner (subject to the payment of a fee). We then work with a re-homing charity to find a new owner.
• Promotes responsible dog ownership through talks to Primary schools and other groups.
• Enforces dog-related by-laws and the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996.

To report a stray dog, contact the Customer Service Centre on 01923 776611 or e-mail enquiries@threerivers.gov.uk
 
This service is part of the team that have been awarded Charter Mark Status for excellence in service delivery.