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    • Animals stray
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    • Animal welfare services
    • Dangerous dogs - enforcement
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Stray dogs

What is a stray dog?

• if it is roaming freely;and
• not under the control of any person, irrespective of whether it has a home.

What we do

• We patrol the district to identify and seize stray dogs, these dogs are held at our appointed kennels and the owners (if known) are informed.
• Once at the holding kennels, the dog will remain there until it is claimed by the owner or for up to seven clear days after the date of seizure.
• If the dog is not claimed during this period then it will be re-homed.
• Only in extreme circumstances will a dog ever be ‘put to sleep’. This normally happens if the dog is dangerous, or on the advice of a veterinary surgeon if the dog is ill.
• The Council's policy is that stray dogs are rehomed or passed onto local rehoming charities.

Collars and tags

• By law, dogs must wear a collar and tag at all times while in a public place or highway (subject to certain exemptions) even if they are microchipped.
• The tag or collar must contain the owner’s name and address.
• It is recommended that, as well as your home phone number, you also put a mobile number on, if you have one, to allow a finder to contact you if you are out looking for the dog.
• Offending dogs may be seized and treated as strays. 

What if you lose or find a dog?

• the Dog Warden Service on 01653 600666 ext 208;
• any local vets to find out if anyone has handed it in or reported it as a stray dog;
• give a full description of the dog and where it was last seen.The Dog Warden and Animal Welfare Officer keeps official registers of lost and found dogs.
• Alternatively you can report a lost dog by using the Animal Problem Reporting Form.

• the Dog Warden Service on 01653 600666 ext 208 and leave your and your dog's details on the voice mail.The Dog Warden and Animal Welfare Officer will contact you on the next working day to assist you. Also please consider that it may have been collected by an animal warden from a neighbouring authority. Please go to Ryedale Information - other Local Authorities.
• Alternatively you can report a lost dog by using the Animal Problem Reporting Form.

Finding a dog

• The Dog Warden Service on 01653 600666 ext 208.

• you can either hold onto the dog until the next working day and arrangements will be made for collection ; or
• you can take it to the appointed kennels by contacting the Ryecare Service on 01653 697737.The Council does not provide a collection service for stray dogs out of hours and the police will not accept them.