Lost Your Dog?

Have you lost your dog?

Dogs in this section have been found straying by a dog warden or a concerned member of the public. Your dog has been brought to the County Pound at Coxhoe because:

It was out unaccompanied, not wearing an identity disc (which is required under the Environmental Protection Act 1990), or;

It was not possible for the finder to contact you on the details available at the time, or;

Your dog has been collected as a stray before.

PLEASE NOTE, HAVING YOUR PET MICROCHIPPED DOES NOT GIVE IT THE RIGHT TO STRAY. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO COLLECT YOUR PET FROM THE COUNCIL POUND.

Last year Stray Aid received nearly 1,000 dogs, whilst working with local authority environmental enforcement officers, and managed to return 56% of dogs received back to their owners within the statutory seven-day period. All dogs brought to the council pound kennels are photographed on arrival and given a unique reference number. Please use this reference number when making enquiries regarding reclaiming your dog.

We are unable to discuss council dogs with anyone other than the owner.

All dogs are checked for any obvious injuries and held for at least 7 days. During this time an owner should collect their dog from the council’s facility as soon as possible. You can collect your dog from the pound between 10am and 4pm, seven days a week (excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day). Although the council will make all possible efforts to locate the owner, no responsibility will be accepted if the dog is not collected during this period.

Stray Aid and our council partners operate a non-destruct policy, and in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990, all dogs seized as strays by the council will become the property of the council after they have been kept for a mandatory period of 7 days and remain unclaimed by the owner. The dog will be rehomed on behalf of the council by the charity or rescue of their choice and the previous owner will have no legal claim to the dog. Any proceeds from the rehoming of the dog will be used by the charity to subsidise the service provided to the public on behalf of the council. Stray Aid makes every effort to rehome as many dogs as possible and will not destroy a rehomeable dog.

Please note, residents of County Durham are now subject to additional measures. A new Public Space Protection Order has been brought in for County Durham. If you would like to learn more about how these new practices may affect you, please visit: www.durham.gov.uk/dogcontrol

What you need to bring in order to assist us in returning your dog?

Photographic Identification: Photo card driving licence, passport, bus pass etc. One proof of current address (less than 3 months old): Utility bill, rent book, council tax bill etc. Proof of ownership: Purchase receipt, photographs of the dog in your own home or with your family, vaccination/vet record, up to date microchip details etc.

IF YOUR DOG IS NOT MICROCHIPPED, WE CAN CHIP IT FOR A DONATION WHEN YOU COLLECT THEM FROM THE KENNELS.

For details of the council’s release fee to reclaim your dog, or if you have any other questions, please ring 0300 9994247 between 10am-4pm, seven days a week.

Please note we no longer accept cheques. We collect fees on behalf of our local council partners, and regrettably we cannot waive these fees. If you feel that the fine has not been applied correctly, and you wish to appeal against the council fine, please contact:

Durham County Council Education and Enforcement Manager on: 03000 260000

Hartlepool Council Waste and Environmental Services on: 01429 523358

Middlesbrough Environmental Services on: 01642 726001

Darlington Dog Control on: 01325 406999

Due to changes in microchipping legislation in April 2016, all dogs over 8 weeks old must be microchipped, the details must be correctly registered and kept up to date. We offer a range of dog tags, engraved while you wait at the kennels. Through buying one of our tags, you are ensuring your dog is compliant with the law and helping to support our work.

NB. It is an offence under the Control of Dogs Order 1992 for a dog to be in a public place without a collar and tag with the owner’s name and address on it, even when the owner is in charge of the dog. If your dog does not have a collar and tag, you can be prosecuted and fined up to £5000. The owner commits this offence even if the dog has a microchip.

Please complete the below form

If you have lost your dog and believe it could be in the Council Pound, please complete the below form as fully as possible. Please provide as much detail as possible, including a description of physical appearance of your dog, the exact location and council area from which they went missing, when they went missing, and their microchip details. The more information you provide, the easier it will be to identify your dog, if they are in the Council Pound. Once you have submitted the form, you will be shown descriptions and unique reference numbers of all dogs currently in the Council Pound.