Stray and lost dogs

What to do when you lose your dog

If you have lost your dog, phone the council as soon as possible describing your dog as fully as possible. We can then check to see if your dog has been collected by the council and is at our kennels waiting for collection. The owner will pay a release fee which will include kennel fees and any vet's fees that may have been incurred. If the owner doesn't come forward within seven days, we will try and re-home the dog, but if we can't it may be put down.

Who to call for microchip details

Each microchip contains a registration number and the phone number of the registry for the particular brand of chip. A handheld scanner reads the chip and displays this information. An animal shelter or vet clinic that finds your pet can contact the registry to get your name and phone number of the registered owner. 

What to do if you find a stray dog

If you find a stray dog, we will come and collect it providing you can safely contain it (for example, if you have it on a lead). Please do not put yourself or the animal at risk to do this.

What we will do 

• we will come and collect the dog as soon as possible and look after it at our kennels while we try to find the owner
• we can usually return a dog to the owner of the dog can be identified by a tag or microchip
• the owner must pay all of the council's costs incurred in collecting and looking after the dog which is currently set at £140
• additional kennelling fees may apply
• if the owner doesn’t come forward within seven days, we will re-home the dog
• the council keeps an electronic register of all stray dogs found in the borough

Report a stray dog

Our office hours are Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm during this time please call 0208 770 5000.

Outside of office hours, weekends and bank holidays please call our emergency number 020 8547 5800.

Report a stray dog concern

Collars and tags

• by law, all dogs must wear a collar and tag with the name and address of the owner (and telephone number) whenever they are in a public place
• if a member of the public finds your dog and it is wearing a collar and tag, the finder is more likely to ring you than the Council. This means that the dog will quickly be reunited with you and you won’t be charged by the council
• the council is only involved in collecting stray dogs when the finder cannot readily identify the owner.
• you must make sure your dog is fitted with a microchip by the time it’s 8 weeks old
• you can be fined up to £500 if your dog is not microchipped

From April 2016 all dogs apart from a few exceptions must be microchipped with the owner’s details. Ownership details must be kept up to date and you can receive a fine if your dog isn't microchipped. 

Microchipping your dog

Your dog’s microchip must be fitted by a trained professional, for example, a vet.

You can ask the following to microchip your dog for free:

• Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
• Blue Cross centers
• Dogs Trust

You can also ask your vet or local council if they can microchip your dog, however, they might charge a fee.

Keeping a stray dog

You must return a stray dog to its owner if you know who the owner is, otherwise you must contact your local council.

Tell the council you want to keep the dog if the council can’t find the owner you may be allowed to keep it. They’ll check you’re suitable as a dog owner before you can adopt it.