Stray dogs

The RSPCA has awarded Lambeth Council the Gold Community Animal Welfare Footprint award for stray dogs in 2011.

This page provides information on what we do about stray dogs. It also explains what to do if you lose your dog or find a stray dog, and how to prevent your dog from becoming a stray.

Dog warden service

Under the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005, local authorities have a sole statutory responsibility for stray dogs. Lambeth provides a dog wardening service between Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and an out of hours stray dog reception point at all other times.

The service is for stray dogs only. A dog becomes a stray when it does not have a person in charge of it and it is at large in a public place or a non public place where it is not permitted to be. For other animals please contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

We ensure that all strays found in the borough are treated humanely and are not subjected to any further pain or suffering, including stress.

All dogs will be thoroughly checked for identification in an attempt to return the dog to its owner. A found report is also filed with Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

When an owner comes forward, the dog is returned with the offer of being micro chipped for free (if the animal isn't micro chipped already) by the animal welfare service when the dog is reunited with its owner.

Where the owner cannot be found, stray dogs are kenneled at the council’s pound for up to 7 days in which time the owner has the opportunity to come forward to claim his/her dog. Failing these attempts, unclaimed stray dogs will be transferred to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home or other breed rescue charities to find another home for them. Most strays are successfully found a new home unless the dog is a banned breed or if there is veterinary advice or a behavioural concern that would require them to be put to sleep humanely.

Fees

We do not charge owners that reclaim their dogs if it is the first time that the dog has been seized as a stray by the animal welfare service. However a fee of £25 is charged to the owner if your dog is seized for a second time as a stray plus kenneling fees of £10 each day or part day plus any veterinary bills.

Found dogs

If you think we may have your dog please contact Public Health and Pest Control on 020 7926 8860 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and quote the council reference number.

LBL 12 067

Found 20/05/2012 SW4 area

Ref# LBL 12 067

LBL 12 066

Found 19/05/2012 SW9 area

Ref# LBL 12 066

LBL 12 064

Found 17/05/2012 SW9 area

Ref# LBL 12 064

LBL 12 063

Found: 16 May 2012 in the SE27 area

LBL 12 063 has been reunited with his owner on 17/05/2012

Ref# LBL 12 063

LBL 12 062

Found: 13 May 2012 in the SW16 area

Ref# LBL 12 062

LBL 12 061

Found: 13 May 2012 in the SW16 area

Ref# LBL 12 061

If you find a stray dog

If you find a stray within Lambeth, please contact us immediately.

Contact us on 020 7926 8860 between Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and we will come and collect it.

If you find a dog outside of office hours (between the hours of 5pm and 9am Monday to Friday and at any time during the weekend) and you have it safely secured you can either:

• hold onto the dog until the next working day and then contact us 020 7926 8860 and we will come and collect it
• contact emergency control on 020 7926 1000 and we will contact you to make arrangements for you to bring the dog to the council's reception point or if possible to pick it up from you
• transport the dog to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Please note that we do not collect stray dogs that are not secured by the finder i.e. dogs that are free roaming, during out of office hours.

If you lose your dog

• Contact us on 0207 926 8860 between Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. We may have already collected your dog or know where he or she is. If not we will take down the missing dog's details and your contact details. We will inform you immediately when we receive any information.
• Contact Battersea Lost Dogs and Cats Line to file a missing report - 0901 477 8477 (calls charged 60p per minute from BT landlines, Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm).
  A member of the public may have already taken your dog to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
• Contact local veterinary practices, animal shelters and animal hospitals. Telephone numbers can be found in local directories or on the internet.
• If your dog is micro chipped, contact the relevant database to ensure that your details are up to date. Pet log - 0870 606 6751 or Identichip - 01904 487 600.
• If you live near the borders of neighbouring boroughs, call their dog wardens or animal welfare officers:
  Wandsworth - 07860 534 733
  Southwark - 0207 525 2000
  Lewisham - 0208 314 2098
  Croydon - 0208 726 6200 ext 88321.
• Walk around the local area, particularly the places where you would normally walk your dog. Talk to dog walkers and leave your contact details with them - they may find your dog.

If your dog is returned to you:

• tell people that are looking for your pet that the dog has safely returned home.

Try to not let your pet become a stray. If your pet is allowed to stray, they could:

• cause an accident on the road
• get injured in a road traffic incident
• worry livestock or wildlife
• bite or injure a member of the public - remember that you are responsible for your dog even if it is a stray.

There are a few things you can do to prevent your dog becoming a stray.

• Ensure your dog wears a collar and an identification tag at all times, even whilst in your home.
• Get your pet micro chipped as collars can be removed, and keep your contact details up to date.
• Don't let your dog walk by itself. A dog on the streets without an owner is illegal and will be classed as a stray.
• Keep doors and windows shut.
• Ensure that your home is secure. If your dog rushes to the front door when visitors call, shut them away in another room before opening the door.
• Make your garden secure. Keep gates shut, ensure that fences are tall enough and maintained.
• Consider getting your dog neutered. Males that are not neutered could wander for a female that is in season.
• Be vigilant with new dogs. Don't let your new dog off the lead unless you are certain that he/she will come back to you when called.
• If your dog cannot be relied upon to come back when called, keep it on a lead, or train it to come back.

If you find a dog and you wish to keep it

If you find a stray dog and take it to us, you can request to keep it. However the dog does not necessarily become yours. Its owner could be searching for it.

If you find a dog and wish to keep it, inform the animal welfare officer who will take down your details. They will try to contact the owner and will provide a reasonable opportunity for them to collect the dog.

We will visit you to make sure that your home is the correct environment for the dog and we will also give you information on responsible dog ownership. You will need to complete the appropriate paperwork.

You will have to keep the dog for at least 30 days (unless claimed by the owner). It is a criminal offence if you don't. Also note that you do not become the legal owner of the dog.

If a person comes forward claiming to be the owner, and has the documents to prove it, you will have to return the dog.