Dog A-Z > L > Legal Responsibilities (Law) > Lost and stray dogs

Lost and stray dogs

No matter how careful you are to make sure that your dog can’t wander off or escape from your property, even the most obedient dog can disappear on occasion.  Hopefully your dog will find his way home or will be returned by a kind member of the public, but if he does not you should do the following:

Who should I contact?

Your Local Authority Dog Warden

• Dogs that are found straying will usually be picked up by a local Dog or Animal Warden and taken to a holding kennel. Dog Wardens are legally responsible for stray dogs and so this is the first place that you should call.

• You should be able to contact your local Dog Warden through the Environmental Health Department of your local council.

• The Dog Warden must legally hold onto a stray dog for seven days before they can rehome him, pass him onto a rehoming organisation, or have him humanely put to sleep.

Kennels and Rehoming Centres

• Even if the Police and Dog Warden have no record of your pet being handed in, ask them for the details of their holding kennels and call them anyway. A member of the public may have taken your dog there directly.

• Contact any other kennels in the area, including boarding kennels.

• Contact all the rehoming centres in your area, such as Dogs Trust, RSPCA, Blue Cross, Battersea and National Animal Welfare Trust. You may also find that there are some small local sanctuaries. Look in your local phone directory under ‘Animal Welfare’ for contact details, or try your Vet or Library.

• If your dog is a pedigree, try local breeders. Contact the Kennel Club – 0870 6066750 for details of your local breed rescue group.

Veterinary Surgeries

• Phone around all of the veterinary surgeries in your area. Your dog may have been involved in a traffic accident or a dog fight and may have been taken to the vet for treatment.

• Leave your details with the Vet and they will contact you, should a dog of his description come into the surgery for treatment.

Noticeboards and Registers

• Occasionally a member of the public will take in a stray pet and look after it until the owner is found. We do not advise people to do this, but if they do they must contact the Police and Dog Warden.

• It is worth checking the local vet surgeries, supermarket noticeboards, shops, libraries, local newspapers and other public noticeboards to see if anyone is searching for the owner of a dog that fits your pet’s description.

• Ask if you can put notices up in these places – preferably a colour poster with an up-to-date photograph of your dog.
• Consider registering your dog with a national lost dog database, such as Petsearch UK http://www.petsearchuk.org.uk/ or www.doglost.co.uk

• If you live within the M25 motorway, you can also try the Battersea Lost Dogs & Cats Line (0901 477 8477, calls cost 60p per minute).

Local Areas & Buildings

• Visit places where you usually walk your dog – he may have just decided to walk himself!

• Look around your local area and if you have moved house recently, ask around at your last address – it is surprising how far dogs have been known to travel.

• If there are any building sites or workmen in your area, ask around in case your dog has become trapped somewhere on site.

Why do dogs stray?

• Because they can! If your garden fence is broken or not high enough then most dogs will escape given the chance – so fix it so that your dog can’t get out.

• If your dog is likely to run out of your front door when you open it, make sure that you shut him away safely in another room before you do so.

• Dogs that are bored or are brimming with energy are more likely to escape from the house or garden in search of an adventure - so make sure that your dog gets enough exercise, play and training time with you to use his brain and wear him out.

• If your dog runs off when you are on a walk with him because he has seen other dogs or caught a whiff of a scent, keep him on a long lead until you have taught him to come back on command. Please read our How to train your dog to come to you factsheet (opens new browser window) for more information.

• If your dog is not neutered then he or she may be escaping in search of a mate. Straying for this reason can lead to unwanted litters of puppies as well as being the cause of traffic accidents, or result in your male dog getting into fights and being a general nuisance. The answer to this is to have your dog neutered – he or she will not miss the ‘urge’ and will soon be happy to stay at home, safe with the rest of the family.

• Remember – by law your dog must wear a collar with your name and address inscribed on it or on a disc attached to it whenever he is out in public.

• If your dog is wearing a name tag, it is likely that your dog will be returned to you quickly by a member of the public or a Local Authority Animal Warden.

• For extra peace of mind, consider having your dog microchipped.  This is a form of permanent identification that cannot be lost or removed from your dog. When your dog is found, he’ll be scanned by the Dog Warden or a Vet and be returned to you. By law your dog will still need to wear a collar, but microchipping will give you that extra peace of mind because collars can come off from time to time.  Your local Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre can microchip your dog for around £9.50, but please phone to arrange an appointment first.

Associated factsheets:

What to do if you lose or find a dog factsheet (opens new browser window)