Archive Website of the UK government

Reporting a stray dog

If you find a stray dog, you should:

• contact the owner if possible - if the dog is wearing a collar tag, it should have the owner's contact details
  
• contact your council if you can’t find the owner

Your council may arrange for a dog warden to collect the dog. Dog wardens are expert in capturing stray dogs and use scanners to check if the dog has a microchip (containing the owner's contact details).

Your council's website should give details of where to take a dog outside office hours or if they don’t have a dog warden.

Dog homes and animal shelters

Dog homes and animal shelters normally only take dogs that an owner no longer wants or can't keep. Some dog homes will take stray dogs in emergencies - for example, if a dog warden isn't available.

Find your nearest dog home or animal shelter in your phone book or by searching online.

The role of the police

You shouldn't take a stray dog to a police station. The police are only responsible for dealing with dangerous dogs. However, if a dog is straying on school premises or interfering with the flow of traffic (and a dog warden is unavailable), contact the police.

• Find a police authority Opens new window

• Dogs that are banned in the UK

• Controlling your dog in public

If your dog goes missing

You are responsible for making sure your dog wears a collar tag in public places, so your dog can be returned to you if lost. You can also microchip your dog to ensure it has a form of permanent identification.

If your dog goes missing, you can:

• contact your council's dog warden service and ask if they have it
• check your veterinary surgery and local shop or supermarket notice boards - someone may have placed a notice that they have found a dog
• contact the local dogs home or animal shelter to see if your dog has been handed in

If a council's dog warden has your dog, you'll be formally sent ('served') a notice to come and collect it. You are likely to be charged for the time it is kept in a kennel. A council can legally keep your dog until you have paid any charges.

If you don't collect your dog within seven days of the notice being served, the dog warden will try and find it a new home.

• Find out about the dog warden service Opens new window

Keeping a stray dog that you find

You can keep a stray dog temporarily in your home while trying to contact the owner or the dog warden service (which you must do).

It may be possible to adopt the dog if its original owner isn't traced or they don't claim the dog within seven days. You should tell the dog warden if you would like to adopt the dog. However, the legal ownership of the dog is never transferred to you. This means the original owner could claim their dog back at anytime - even if you've had the dog for several months or years.

More useful links

• DogLost Opens new window

• UK National Missing Pets Register Opens new window