Stray dogs

What do I do if I find a stray dog?

If it is safe to do so and you are confident, check to see if the dog is wearing any form of identification, if so return them directly to their owner.

The Council's priority is to offer a centralised and co-ordinated service for the collection of stray dogs with the aim of reuniting dogs with their owners as quickly as possible.

You can do this by ringing the City and neighbourhood team and we will arrange for our dog warden to collect the dog as soon as we can and try to reunite it with its owner.

This service is available between the hours of 10:00am - 7:00pm, Monday - Friday. An out-of-hours dog collection service available 10:00am - 3:00pm Saturday - Sunday and bank holidays. There is no collection service outside of these hours.

You may wish to keep the dog with you until such time as arrangements can be made for its collection.

Please remember that rehoming organisations cannot take strays directly off the street or from well-meaning members of the public except under certain emergency situations.

If you think the dog is dangerous, it should be dealt with directly by the Police.

A dangerous dog is one that has already attacked or puts a person in genuine fear for their safety, or the safety or others. It can be hard to define a vicious dog as it may simply be scared, hungry, or feels under threat.

If a dog has bitten somebody, attacked another dog or seems likely to attack, you should report it immediately to the Police.

Why you shouldn't look after the dog in your home

It may not be advisable to take a stray dog into your own home. No assessment has been made of the dog's health or temperament and you could put yourself or your family at risk of injury or disease. If you do take a stray dog in to your home, then the law requires you to tell the Council. If you don't, you could be accused of theft.

After a stray dog is reported

The Council has a duty to collect and impound dogs that are found straying in a public place and are not accompanied by their owner or a person in charge.

No other organisation or charity can collect a stray dog and you should not hand a stray dog over to anyone but the owner or the dog warden.

Once reported, the Council's dog warden will collect the dog and will check to see if it has a microchip, or any collar/tag identification required by law.

If the dog is microchipped it will hopefully be possible to establish ownership and to contact the owner to let them know their dog has been found. Find out more about microchipping.

If it is not possible to contact the owner or the dog has no accurate means of identification, the dog warden will take the dog to Local Authority approved kennelling facilities.

After a stray dog is taken to the kennels

If a dog has not been claimed within 7 days of entering the kennels, it will be transferred to the ownership of Animal Care Services (ACS) who offer a re-homing service as part of their care programme.

If you would like to adopt the dog

You will have to contact Sunderland City Council and wait the statutory 7 days period.

Sunderland City Council can then pass on your details to the kennels. If the owner is not found, you will be expected to go through the kennels normal adoption/rehoming process to assess your suitability..

If you wish to keep the dog in your home, you must inform Sunderland Council. You are legally obliged to provide certain information about the dog, with your name and address details and to keep the dog in your care for 28 days. You must not hand the dog over to any other person, organisation or charity during this period without informing the Council.

After this time you can keep the dog until the person with proof of ownership claims the dog. This means legal ownership is not transferred to you and the original owner may demand the dog back at any time, no matter how long you have kept the dog for or how much money you have spent looking after the dog.

What to do if you have lost your dog

Any dog that is unsupervised in a public place may be collected by the Council's dog warden.

If your dog has a tag with contact details, or is microchipped, then the dog warden will try to contact you. If the dog can't be taken straight home it will be taken to Local Authority approved kennels.

We recognise that losing your dog can be a traumatic experience. If you have lost your dog, call the Council's City and neighbourhood team to see if your dog has been collected by the dog warden and taken to Local Authority approved kennels.

You may wish to contact other kennel providers in the area as a member of the public may have taken your dog directly to an alternative local kennel provider.

If your dog has been taken to kennels by the dog warden, you will need to call Animal Care Services (ACS) on 0116 269 6177 and you will have to pay a release fee before your dog is delivered back to you. The amount of the release fee will vary depending on how much time your dog has been at the kennels.

Kennelling costs will consist of:

£25 statutory fee that is required regardless of how long your dog is kennelled.

£25 + VAT admin fee that is required regardless of how long your dog is kennelled.

£25 + VAT per day kennelling fee.

The below table is illustrative of the cost you will be required to pay to arrange the return of your dog throughout the 7-day statutory holding period.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

£75

£100

£125

£150

£175