The Council has a duty under section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to collect and detain stray dogs. Stray dogs are returned to their owner provided the owner can be identified, by the dog wearing a collar and tag or if they are microchipped. If the owner can't be identified the dog will be taken to the council allocated kennels.
After a period of seven days, legal ownership passes to Havant Borough Council who will then try to find a new home for the dog. The council reserves the right to humanely put the dog to sleep if there is public safety matter and the dog poses a risk/danger.
By law, your dog must wear a collar with your name and address on it. If it doesn’t wear a collar, you could be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000.
The microchipping of dogs has been a legal requirement since April 2016. You must:
The new 2023 regulations introduce a new legal requirement for cats to be microchipped from 10 June 2024. This means that:
If you lose or find a dog between 9am and 5pm Monday to Thursday, or between 9am and 4:30pm on Fridays, (office hours), please report it to us by calling 02392 446019 or 02392 446016 . Our Animal Welfare Officers will endeavour to collect the stray dog as soon as possible.
If you lose or find a dog outside of office hours, please phone our Stray Dog Acceptance Point on 01489 892760. Please note that our Stray Dog Acceptance Point is currently changing phone providers, and therefore there may be times when the phone is unavailable. In this instance, please email bookings@threeoaksboardingkennels.co.uk.The owner may have already contacted the kennels and they can put you in touch to arrange reunification. Please be advised that the kennels will be unable to come and collect the lost or stray dog.
Members of public MUST call before claiming their dogs. This is subject to the payment of the requisite fees and provisions of identification. Collections can be made at the following hours only:
Monday to Sunday - 09:00-11:00 or 15:00-17:00.
You will also need to provide proof of ownership of the dog you are collecting. A dog will not be given back unless we are satisfied that you are its rightful owner.
There will be charges to pay if your dog was collected by the animal welfare officers or taken to the reception centre. You must pay full kennelling rates directly to the kennels for every day or part-day that your dog was there. You must pay any vet bills incurred while your dog was at the kennels.
You must pay the statutory fee of £25 plus a handling charge per animal. If your dog was taken to the reception centre outside the council's normal working hours, there will be an extra charge of £32. You will also be subject to the kennelling fees. Please see our Prices for council services webpage.