A dog warden service is provided by the Council's partner
company, Suffolk Coastal Services.
Suffolk Coastal Services collects stray and lost dogs and takes
them to kennels to await collection by their owners. The minimum
charge to release a dog is £65. There is a further charge for each
day the dog is kept and all charges must be paid before the dog can
be collected. Dogs are normally kept for up to seven days,
after which they will be offered for re-homing or, in some
cases, they may be destroyed. A list of
fees for the release of stray and lost dogs is
given below.
If you have lost your dog you can contact Suffolk Coastal
Services on 01394 444000 or email
scsltd@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
and they will check their records to see whether it has been
collected and taken to a kennel.
If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place or
injures someone, it may be possible to take action under the
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. In an emergency, please contact the police
by dialling 999, otherwise you can contact them on
01473 613500.
Alternatively, you can discuss the problem with the dog warden
by calling 01394 444000 during office hours.
What to do if you find a stray dog
If you find a stray dog within the Suffolk Coastal District
Council area there are several things you can do. If it was found
in another council’s area, it will need to be dealt with by that
council.
If possible, the dog should be secured and contained. During
office hours you can contact the dog warden service at Suffolk
Coastal Services by calling 01394 444000
and the dog warden will call to collect it from you as soon as
possible. Suffolk Coastal Services office hours are 8.45am -
5.15pm Monday to Thursday and 8.45am - 4.45 on Friday.
If you are not able to secure the dog, please contact the dog
warden service on the number above, with as many details as
possible about where the dog is and what it looks like.
They will then try and find the dog and if practicable, catch
it.
Outside office hours, at weekends or on bank holidays, please
consider if you can hold the dog until they can collect it on
the next working day. If you are not able to do this, stray dogs
may be taken to one of the following kennels up to 10pm on any day
and be left there:
Pampered Pets Hotel, Greenacre, Glevering, Hacheston, Wickham
Market, IP13 0EX.
Kembroke Kennels and Cattery, Newbourne Road, Bucklesham, IP10
0BU.
If you are unable to take the dog to these kennels and are not
able to temporarily keep the dog until the following day, up until
10pm on any day, Suffolk Coastal Services will try and arrange
for someone to call and collect the dog from you. To arrange this
please telephone the Council’s out of hours emergency number on
07771 816535. Please be aware however, that it may
not always be possible to arrange this service, but we will
try.
Fees for the release of stray dogs
A statutory charge of £25.00 together with the costs per dog,
for the number of days (or part days) held, are payable to Suffolk
Coastal Services Ltd. When payment has been made, the owner will be
given a certificate of release enabling them to collect the dog
from the Council’s designated kennels.
1 day - £25 release fee plus kennel and
administration costs - total fee £65.
2 days - £25 release fee plus £65 kennel and
administration costs - total
fee £90.
3 days - £25 release fee plus £80 kennel and
administration costs - total fee £105.
4 days - £25 release fee plus £95 kennel and
administration costs - total fee £120.
5 days - £25 release fee plus £110 kennel and
administration costs - total fee £135.
6 days - £25 release fee plus £125 kennel and
administration costs - total fee £150.
7 days - £25 release fee plus £140 kennel and
administration costs - total fee £165.
8 days - £25 release fee plus £155 kennel and
administration costs - total fee £180.
and thereafter a further £15.00 per day that
the dog is kept.
Dogs will be kept for a maximum of seven full days, after
seizure or service of a statutory notice, whichever is the latest.
Dogs will be given to a re-homing charity if they are not collected
within the stated times and expenses liable are not
paid.