Dog Warden Service

The service promotes responsible Dog ownership within Cheshire East.

We will:

deal with incidents of found/reported stray dogs between the hours of 9am until 5pm Monday to Friday
undertake patrols alongside the community enforcement team in relation to responsible dog ownership and enforcement of our Dog Fouling and Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Orders
investigate reports of irresponsible dog ownership that do not fall within the Dangerous Dogs Act (police), Noisy/barking dogs (environmental protection) or animal welfare concerns (RSPCA)

We cannot deal with:

requests to deal with dogs being left being in empty properties (this is the responsibility of the property owner/landlord, person or body acting on behalf of the property owner)
requests for re-housing dogs due to the owner not being able to look after the dog due to personal circumstances (for example ill health, imprisonment/being arrested)

Dog fouling

The Council have put in place Dog Fouling and Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO’s) across all areas of the borough that are open to public. Breach of these orders is a criminal offence.

The penalty for contravening the order can result in the issuing of a £100 fixed penalty notice, or prosecution in a magistrate’s court with a maximum fine of a £1000. More information on our PSPO’s can be found on the below link with details of how to report witnessed breaches of the relevant orders.

Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO's)

To report incidents of dog fouling/request a clearance of dog foul in public areas, please use the link below:

Report dog fouling

Lost or stray dogs

Report a lost or stray dog

We collect straying dogs that are being held by members of the public and safely keep them for a maximum of 7 days for collection by the owner (subject to the payment of a fee).

Returning of a stray dog:

Where we can identify the dog owner from an identification disc or microchip and can return the dog without it being taken to the kennels this incurs a fee of £47.50.

Where an owner cannot immediately be identified and the dog is transported for kennelling, release fees apply. Release fees are made up of a standard £84.00 plus £12.60 per day kennelling fee. Payment must be made prior to any dog being collected by the owner.

Kennelling is charged from the day the dog is taken to the kennelling provider. After a period of 7 days the dog is then the responsibility of the kennel provider and they must be contacted directly during their opening hours to discuss the matter with them.

Stray dogs out of hours

There is no Dog Warden pickup service for stray dogs outside of normal working hours, however it may be possible to drop stray dogs at our kennelling service during the times stipulated below. You must however phone ahead to discuss details and arrangement with the provider first as this might not always be possible.

There is no stray dog drop off service after 9pm at any time.

Any dogs found outside of the council’s Dog Warden normal working hours and before 9pm may be handed in to:

Acorn Kennels

Heath Road
Whitchurch
Shropshire
SY13 2AA

Telephone: 01948 662931 (8am-6pm daily) or 07870 217617 (6pm-9pm daily)

Dog identification

Your dog must wear a collar and tag by law when out in a public place, which includes contact details of the owner. This information will assist in the dog being re-united with its owner.

If we seize a stray dog, and we can't trace an owner, we will keep it in boarding kennels for a period of 7 days, then if not claimed, efforts will be made to re-home.

Since 1 April 2016 it has been a legal requirement for dogs to be micro-chipped, and the owner details registered on a central database. If you have not already done so, you should ensure your dog is micro-chipped. It is also important that you update/amend your details, eg if you move house.

A local vet can micro-chip your dog for a nominal fee.

Dangerous dogs

Cheshire Police deal with dog attacks on people and on other animals. They can be contacted on 101.

It is also advisable to contact your doctor or NHS direct if you have been bitten.

Four breeds of dogs are banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, they are:

Pit Bull Terrier
Japanese Tosa
Dogo Argentine
Fila Braziliero

Dog muzzles

If you know that your dog may try to bite people or other animals when in public, it would be sensible for it to wear a muzzle.

The magistrate’s court can order that a dog be muzzled if it considers that it has been out of control or has acted dangerously.

Please note that a dog should never be left alone whilst wearing a muzzle.

Giving an unwanted dog a home

Please contact Acorn Kennels on the details above. In addition City Dogs Home in Stoke-on-Trent offer a re-homing service. They can be contacted on 01782 304130.

Telephone 0300 123 5021

Page last reviewed: 31 March 2022