Sadly, thousands of dogs are abandoned by their owners every year for various reasons. It is a criminal offence to purposefully fail to provide a dog’s essential needs by abandoning it. For more information about animal welfare legislation, please see the Animal Welfare Advice section of the A-Z.
What should you do if you find an abandoned dog?
If you find an abandoned dog, you should contact your local authority who will advise you what to do or they will come and collect the dog.
What happens to abandoned dogs in the UK?
Abandoned dogs are taken into the care of local authorities by dog wardens. This applies to dogs found roaming the streets or reported by members of the public. It is the responsibility of the local authority to deal with abandoned dogs at all times; this responsibility no longer lies with the police except in Scotland where responsibility is shared.
Dogs Trust is unable to accept or collect any stray or abandoned dogs from the streets. Only the Local Authority has a legal responsibility and authority to accept and care for stray dogs. The law states that the dog owner has seven days in which to collect their dog from the Local Authority. Once this seven day period is over, the Local Authority is at liberty to hand over the stray or abandoned dogs to charities such as Dogs Trust. Wherever possible we will take stray and abandoned dogs into our rehoming centres and will then try to find loving new homes for them.