We have recently been contacted by Wealden Council regarding their protocol surrounding stray dogs after we made enquiries as to why Animal Wardens Ltd, the company contracted as the district’s dog wardens, would not collect a stray dog from our care, despite historically having done this on a small number of occasions. Wealden Council have made us and other local veterinary practices aware that finders of stray dogs should not pass on any stray dog to the care of a veterinary practice. Instead, they should call Animal Wardens Ltd who will return their call within one hour and arrange for the stray dog to be collected from the finder within six hours.
Previously, we have always been willing to care for any stray brought into us by a member of the public. However, in light of the council’s agreement with Animal Wardens Ltd we will be unable to do so moving forward. If you do find a stray dog, we are of course happy to scan the dog for a microchip and attempt to contact the owner. If we are unable to contact the owner, you will need to take the dog home and contact the dog warden on 01424 490034 and take care of them until they can be collected, as per Wealden Council’s requirements. We will take your details and photos of the found pet, so that if the owner contacts us while you’re waiting for collection from the dog warden, we can help speed up the reuniting process.
We have noticed an uptick in online abuse of veterinary practices in the area for not being ‘willing’ to take in stray dogs, but we suspect what has happened is they have been met with the effects of this policy sooner than we have, as fortunately many strays brought to us have up to date microchips. We understand that this policy may be frustrating for the finder of a dog, as well as dog owners in our local area; the best thing to do is to contact your local councillor and your local MP in order to express your concerns, as they would be the drivers of change on this topic. We have raised our concerns about the safety of the stray dog and the finder to Wealden Council and received this letter in response, which outlines their position and makes it clear that until there is a change in their policy, we are unable to move forward in the same way we have previously.
We would also like to strongly reiterate to pet owners that the best way to make sure your pet will be returned to you quickly is for them to be microchipped and the details to be up to date, both to comply with your legal obligation as a pet owner and to give us all the best chance of reuniting you with them. For dogs, they should also be wearing a tag with your name, address and ideally your telephone number to facilitate this. Please do check the details, just in case you’ve changed your telephone numbers, moved house or changed your name since your pet had it implanted! If you aren’t sure of your pet’s microchip number, take them to your vet and we can scan them to confirm the number and let you know which company you need to contact to update any details.
Call us on 01435 864422 if you need help checking your dog’s microchip details are up to date.
