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Advice for finders of lost or stray dogs

The regulations state that: any unattended dog on public land, or any unattended dog on private land where it is not permitted to be, is considered to be a stray dog.

Your responsibilities if you take possession of a stray dog

There is a common misconception when someone finds a stray dog, that someone must have abandoned it. This is rarely true and although a number of stray dogs are never claimed, there will in the majority of cases be someone out there looking for their dog.

It is an offence under Section 150 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to attempt to keep a stray dog you have found without informing Basildon Council.

All dogs are required by law to be microchipped and to wear a collar with the name and address of the owner inscribed on the collar or on a plate or badge attached to it. If you take possession of a stray dog it is very likely that you will be able to identify the dog and the owner from its collar ID. The implanted microchip will hold the identity of the dog and the owner, but you will need the help of an animal care professional to scan the microchip.

Any person who takes possession of a stray dog under Section 150 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 shall either:

  • return the dog to the owner or
  • inform the local authority responsible for the area in which the animal was found that they have found a stray dog.

Under Section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Basildon Council is the local authority responsible for taking in stray dogs found anywhere within the boundaries of Basildon Borough.

Report a stray dog found within Basildon Borough

To inform us that you have taken possession of a stray dog within the boundaries of Basildon Borough please contact:

  • Customer Services - Currently stray dog reports can only be made by telephone.
  • Out of Office hours and bank holidays - calls to this number are automatically transferred to our emergency response centre. Please listen, if you have lost or found a dog you will be prompted to press the * key to speak to an operator.)

Stray dogs can be reported by phone 24 hours a day. Stray dog collections will be made any day of the week but only between 9.00am - 9.00pm.

Reporting a stray dog found outside Basildon Borough

To report a stray dog outside the boundaries of Basildon Borough you should contact the local authority for the area in which you found the animal.

See neighbouring local authorities...