Report a stray or abandoned dog

If you find a stray or abandoned dog and cannot contact the owner, you need to either:

report it to your local council
contact your local police station, outside of normal working hours

It’s an offence to keep a stray dog without contacting the owner or reporting it.

A dog is a stray if it's alone without its owner in a public place. It may have got lost or wandered away from home.

An abandoned dog has been left behind by its owner on purpose, leaving it without care or a new home.

Check for an owner

Only approach a stray dog if it’s calm and appears friendly.

To check for an owner, you can:

look for a collar or tag with the owner’s contact details
take the dog to a local vet or animal rescue centre – they can scan for a microchip containing the owner’s contact details
share a photo of the dog in local community social media groups

Aggressive dogs

Do not approach an aggressive dog. Report it to your local council or contact the police by calling 101.

If the dog is an immediate threat, contact the police by dialling 999.

Injured dogs

If you find an injured stray dog, contact the SSPCA’s emergency helpline by dialling 03000 999 999.

Report a stray dog

If you cannot contact the owner, you need to either:

report the dog to your local council’s dog warden
call 101 to contact your local police station, outside of normal working hours

Report a stray dog to your local council

After you report a stray dog

The dog warden will arrange to collect the dog from you. They will keep it in holding kennels while they look for an owner. If the owner does not reclaim the dog after 7 days, it will be rehomed.

If you want to keep a stray dog

Tell the dog warden you want to keep the dog when you report it. They may allow you to look after it while they search for an owner. If they cannot find an owner, they may let you keep the dog.

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