Lost, Found or Stray Dogs
Stray Dogs
If you see a stray dog in the District during working hours, you
can report it to the Council on 01702 318111 (Mon - Fri 8am to
5.30pm) or directly to the Dog Warden on 01268 770402 (Mon - Fri
8am to 6pm). The Dog Warden will visit the location as soon as
practicable and attempt to seize the dog.
For safety reasons, we do not recommend that members of the
public approach stray dogs, but if you do, it is at your own
risk.
However, if you have found and picked up a stray dog, check to
see if the dog is wearing a collar with it’s owners details on it
and try to return the dog to its owner. Alternatively, contact the
Council or Dog Warden on the numbers above and they will collect
the dog from you.
You may also take the dog directly to the dog kennel yourself,
Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm only, however, we do recommend that you
contact the kennels on the above number to make sure that there is
someone available to see you when you arrive at the kennels. The
address of the kennels is:
Acres Way Kennels
Great Burches Road
Thundersley
Essex
SS7 3NE
Telephone: 01268 770402
You may also report a stray dog online using the form in the
related links section at the bottom of this page, but please
remember that in the time it takes to complete this form, the dog
may have wandered off.
Outside of these hours please call our out of hour’s line on
01268 527317 who will direct you to a reception centre who will
take care of the dog.
Please note: There are no facilities to collect a dog
out of hours.
Once the Dog Warden has seized the dog, she will check it for
identity tags and scan it for a microchip. If the dog warden finds
details of the dogs’ owner, she will contact them and ask them to
collect the dog and pay any appropriate fee as soon as possible. If
the identity of the owner is unknown, cannot be contacted or cannot
collect the dog immediately, it will be taken to the Council's
nominated Kennels (Acres Way Kennels). The dog will be kept at the
kennels for seven days from when it is seized until collected by
its owner. If it is not collected after seven days the dog is
re-homed.
We try to re-unite all dogs with their owners and keep a
register of lost and found dogs. However, before a dog may be
collected from the kennels the owner must pay all outstanding fees
and expenses incurred by the Local Authority.
Dogs that are not claimed are kept for 7 days and then found
good homes. None are destroyed unless their temperaments are
unsound or a veterinary surgeon recommends it due to illness or
injury.
Please do not assume that a stray dog is unwanted and
keep it without reporting it to the Council or Dog Warden, someone
may be desperately searching for it.
Lost Dogs
If you have lost your dog, please contact the Council on 01702
318111 or the Dog Warden on 01268 770402 to report it missing. If
you have lost your dog near to the border of neighbouring Councils,
you are advised to contact them as well, just in case your dog has
been reported to them or collected by their Dog Warden. Remember,
if your dog is micro chipped, the chances of being reunited with
your dog are much higher and quicker. Even in the unfortunate event
of your dog being involved in an accident and killed, we
always scan dogs for micro chips.
If you want to microchip your pet, contact your vet who will be
able to do this for you at a reasonable price. Alternatively
contact Acres Way Kennels on 01268 770402, where we have negotiated
a discounted price of £15.00 for micro chipping dogs and cats
belonging to Rochford District Council residents.
Re-homing Stray Dogs
If you are thinking of getting a dog, the Council would
encourage you to consider homing a rescue or stray dog rather than
buying a puppy, in an effort to reduce the population of unwanted
dogs.
Unclaimed stray dogs that have been found in the Rochford
District and surrounding areas, can be viewed by visiting Acres Way
Kennels, Great Burches Road, Thundersley Essex, SS7 3NE, between
10am and 3pm daily.
Alternatively, you can view dogs that are available for re
homing from the kennels by clicking on the link in Related Links
below.
All prospective owners are subject to a house check, prior to a
dog being re-homed with them and a donation is required when a dog
is placed with a new owner.