Stray, lost and found dogs

Stray Dogs  

If you find a stray dog, the law says you must either,

• Return the dog to its owner ( if known ), if the dog can be identified by an ID tag and you are able to return the dog, and it is safe to do so.
• Contact South Ribble Borough Councilusing the report a stray dog form on the website, South Ribble Borough Council officers will arrange collection of the dog.  The dog will need to be under your control for officers to attend and collect. 
• You can take the found dog to a local vet and ask them to check to see if the dog has a microchip.

Any dog that is out, lose, wandering and not under control is classed as a stray dog.  Any dog that is unsupervised in a public place may be taken by South Ribble Borough Council officers.

The owner will be served with a fixed penalty notice if the dog is deemed to be causing a nuisance or is not on a lead in a public place or lose on the highway.

We provide a stray dog collection service Monday to Friday 09.00am to 1600 hrs. If you find a stray dog during these hours, please report this to South Ribble council via gateway staff.

South Ribble Borough Council Officers will respond to reports of stray dogs as soon as practicably possible.

If you find a dog outside of office hours, you can ring 01772 625625. This will direct you through to the out of hours contact centre.  Where possible you may be required to keep the dog until the next working day when Officers will attend and collect it.

When a stray dog is collected by SRBC Officers, in the first instance we will do our best to return the dog to their owner providing the microchip details are correct.  If the details are unobtainable or incorrect the dog will be taken to our contracted kennels.

A dog will be kept for 7 days, after which time it becomes the property of South Ribble Council.

The dog after the seven days will then be transferred to one of the dog charities who assist us in finding a suitable home.

 Collecting your dog from the kennels

When collecting your dog from the kennels there will be an £145.00 fee plus any kennelling, transport, or veterinary fees, this will need to be paid directly to the kennels before the dog is released to you.

If your dog is not microchipped or the details are incorrect you will be served with a notice instructing you to update these within 21 days. This was made law in 2016 and failure to carry out this instruction will result in an immediate fine / Fixed Penalty.

 Re-homing an unwanted dog

Please note not we do not offer a re-homing service.

 If this is something you are considering, then you can contact various centres such as the Dog Trust, RSPCA or local charities who may be able assist you.

 Dog attacks

If your dog or cat is attacked by another dog, then this should be reported to South Ribble council via gateway by email to info@southribble.gov.uk

If you have been bitten by a dog, then this should be reported immediately to the police.