Stray Dogs

Stray dogs can cause a number of problems, they can be responsible for road traffic accidents, can be a nuisance and even bite people, worry animals, and defecate in public places.

Finding a Stray Dog

If you find a stray dog, you shoul do one of the following:

• Return the dog to the owner, or
• Request that the Council's Dog Warden collect it.  It may be easier for you to take it direclty to the Birmingham Dogs Home.  You will need a Solihull Council stray dog reference number which can be obtained from the number below.  We will need to advise the dogs home of your intentions. 
• There is no out of hours collection service.
• You can keep the dog, provided no owner comes forward, however you must tell us and keep it for not less than a month.

The council operates a stay dog service between the hours of 08.30 and  3.00pm (Monday - Thursday ) and 08.30 -14.30 on  Friday.  If the referral is after these times depending on officers current commitments and their location within the Borough, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to respond to you the same day. Please do not take a stray/roaming dog to your local police station as they will not take it in. The Police will only deal with dogs under the following circumstances:

• if the dog is a suspected banned breed for example a pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Fila Braziliero or Dogo Argentino
• or if the dog has bitten a person or is likely to bite.

If your concern relates to a dangerous dog or an aggressive dog please refer to the animal welfare article regarding dangerous dogs

If it is safe to do so, please secure the dog until the dog warden can arrange collection.  Other dog charities may be able to assist out of hours such as the RSPCA and  PetSearch (UK) see below. To report a stray dog, you can use our online report form (attached on the right) or telephone us on 0121 704 8000.

Losing a Dog

If you lose your dog, the Council may help you find it. Telephone Environmental Health (0121 704 8000) with the details of the dog and its last location as soon as possible. We will then contact you if it is found. You may also wish to register is as lost with Petsearch (UK) see below.

Dog Warden Service

The Council has a duty under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to seize and detain stray dogs. Outside of normal working hours there is no stray dog service.  If you find a stray if possible and it is safe to do so  keep the animal until the next working day when collection arrangemnts can be made. The Council has an officer within Environmental Health that will respond to reports of stray dogs, by attending the area, and once found, seizing the stray dog.

The stray dog is taken to Birmingham Dogs Home where it is checked for identification.  If possible, the owner will be contacted and arrangements made for the aninmal to be collected. There is a statutory fine of £25 payable on claiming your dog. 

If the dog is not claimed after the seven days, the owner loses all rights to the dog, and if possible, it will be rehomed. Solihull Council has a policy of not destroying dogs however destruction is only considered where we were unable to rehome the dog, the dog is considered dangerous, or is being caused unnecessary suffering.

Identification

It is a criminal offence under the Animal Health Act 1981 to allow a dog to be in a public place without a collar and tag, and the maximum penalty is £5,000. The tag should contain the name of the dog, and details such as the address and telephone number of the owner.

Stray Dog Register

The Council maintains a public register of stray dogs. The register contains details of every dog seized and detained, and if claimed. The register is available for inspection

Pet Search (UK)

Petsearch (UK) was founded in Solihull by Paula and Harry Greaves in 1990. They set the charity up because in some parts of the country, dogs were being destroyed, as their owners were unable to locate them within the seven days following the dog being seized and detained.

They felt that a central register was required to hold information about lost and found pets in order to reunite them with their owners. They undertook to provide this valuable service, for free, seven days a week. Since then, the demand for the service has escalated so volunteers were sought from around the UK. There is now a national network of people involved in Petsearch (UK).  To reach the Petsearch web site please use the link above.