Dogs
General
Dog Fouling
Please also see further information about the Dog
Warden Service >>
Does the dog warden deal with cats ?
The Dog Warden Service only deals with dogs. Cats are free to roam where
they wish and they are not subject to any controls when doing so.
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What is the RSPCA's telephone number?
The RSPCA can be contacted on 0870 55 55 999
or accessed through
their website at www.rspca.org.uk
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My neighbour's dog is always barking and causing a
noise nuisance, what can I do ?
Dogs do bark, but it isn't natural or necessary for them to bark continuously.
If you are having a problem with a neighbour's barking dog then you have
two main options. First, for the sake of keeping on good terms, you should
consider approaching your neighbour and politely let them know that their
dog is causing a problem. The dog's owner is often unaware that this is
the case and it would be helpful to them if you could explain when the
dog tends to bark. It is important not to get cross with your neighbour
even though the barking may have made you feel that way.
Secondly, If this approach fails, or if you feel unable to approach your
neighbour, you can contact the Public Protection Department to make a
complaint - you can do this by completing an online noise pollution form, or by calling 01978 292040, or by email: environmental@wrexham.gov.uk.
Unfortunately complaints cannot be made anonymously. For your complaint to be dealt with you must supply your name, full address and either an email address or telephone number where you can be contacted. The dog barking must be witnessed in person by an Officer from this Department and so it will be necessary to arrange to visit you in your property.
You will also need to provide the address
where the dog is kept. Initially our response is to write to you asking
you to complete monitoring forms over a 2 - 4 week period and return these
to us if the barking persists. At the same time we will write to the owner
of the dog advising them that a complaint has been made, but your details
are not revealed at this stage. Most alleged noise nuisances are resolved
at this early stage, but if the barking persists, the Public Protection
Department will carry out its own monitoring and if a noise nuisance is
established, an abatement notice can be served. Failure to comply with
the notice is an offence.
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What happens if the noise occurs outside your office
hours ?
This can be overcome by the use of our noise monitoring equipment which
can be installed in your home and is easy to operate. It allows you to
make direct recordings of the barking which can be played back to the
same level. Alternatively we do offer to make three one-hour visits to
your home at times which are most likely to coincide with the dog barking,
day or night. We will only do this once we have given the dog's owner
an opportunity to control the barking and once you have completed and
returned our noise monitoring forms.
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I breed dogs; do I need a licence ?
Generally, you do need a licence to breed dogs but this depends on number of litters produced each year. More that four litters in any year would be classed as a business and would definitely need a licence. More information on this issue can
be obtained from the Public Protection Department on 01978 292040,
email: environmental@wrexham.gov.uk
or by completing the online
enquiry form.
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I have a complaint about dog fouling, what can I do
?
Generally, a person who is in control of a dog and who allows it to foul
a public place without removing the deposit is committing an offence.
The Public Protection Department's Amenity Wardens have responsibility
for trying to stop this behaviour. We can help you by carrying out patrols
in your area, but the more information you can provide to us about the
individuals who are allowing this to happen, or the times that they exercise
their dog, the more likely we will witness an offence being committed.
Where we witness an offence, we will endeavour to serve a £75 fixed
penalty notice on the offender.
Alternatively, you could act as a witness yourself and we will consider
using your evidence to take action against the offender. You can contact
the Public Protection Department to report a problem with dog fouling
or to find out how you can act as a witness to a dog fouling offence -
you can do this by completing an online
complaint form, or by calling 01978 292040, or by email: environmental@wrexham.gov.uk.
You will need to supply your name, address and other contact details if
we are to act on your complaint.
If your neighbourhood is badly fouled and you would like certain pavements
to be cleaned, you can contact Community Services on 01978
292040.
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Can we have some 'no dog fouling' signs please ?
There are already many "no dog fouling" signs throughout the
County Borough and we have to be careful about not creating eyesores from
excessive signage. It also appears to be the case that few people take
notice of the signs in the long term. Nevertheless, the Amenity Wardens
of the Public Protection Department can arrange for signs to be erected
in your neighbourhood, particularly if fouling is occurring frequently.
To arrange this you can contact the Amenity Wardens on 01978 292040,
email: environmental@wrexham.gov.uk
or by completing the online
enquiry form.
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Why are there no dog bins ?
There are already a large number of litter bins available throughout
the County Borough and these can be used to accept dog fouling wrapped
in a plastic bag or contained in a conventional "pooper-scooper".
Separate dog fouling bins have to be bought and cost more to empty. If
more bins are to be bought it is better to provide additional litter bins
which can accept both dog fouling and litter. We want to send out a clear
message that dog waste should be cleaned up and put in any litter bin
or taken home.
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How do I go about having my dog micro-chipped ?
Your local veterinary surgery can advise whether they are able to micro-chip
your dog, details of which can be found in the business telephone directory.
Any dogs seized by our Dog Warden Service are scanned for micro-chips
and we will endeavour to contact the owner if their details are revealed
by a micro-chip. We cannot guarantee that the chip will be detected in
all cases.
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I have found a dog, what do I do with it ?
If you find a stray dog, you should either take the dog to the police
station or local authority nearest to where the dog was found. In practice,
only the main Wrexham Police Station, Bodhyfryd, Wrexham has the facilities
to accept stray dogs, usually during the evenings and weekends. In the
majority of cases, the Council's Dog Warden Service are the main agency
for dealing with stray dogs and during normal office hours we will endeavour
to collect the dog provided we can be satisfied that the dog is not your
own. The Council's Dog Warden Service operates from 8.45 a.m. - 5.15 p.m.
Monday to Thursday and 8.45 a.m. - 4.45 p.m. Fridays. Unless the dog is
injured or unwell, you should not ask a vet to take the dog from you.
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I have lost my dog, has the Dog Warden picked it
up ?
If you have lost your dog you should notify the Dog Warden Service on
01978 292040. If the Dog Warden has picked up your dog and taken
it to our appointed kennels, the Dog Warden will tell you. To retrieve
the dog you will need to visit the kennels and pay a £60 penalty
together with kennelling costs of £10.42 for each day or part day
that your dog has been kennelled. You have seven days from the date that
the dog was seized in which to claim the dog. Failure to collect your
dog within this time will mean that you will not be able to have your
dog returned to you. If the dog is reported missing to the Dog Warden
before it has been found, then if we find it and provided your dog has
not been picked up before, we endeavour to return it to you without any
penalty. If the dog is found and you cannot be contacted then your dog
has to be taken to the kennels and all usual charges will be payable.
If you have lost your dog, you should also notify the Police at Wrexham
Area Support Unit, Bodhyfryd, Wrexham on 01978 290222 and enquire
whether your dog has been handed in.
The Council's appointed kennels are:
Acorn Boarding Kennels
Oakfields
Heath Road
Whitchurch
SY13 2AA
Tel: 01948 662931
The kennels are open from 9.00am until 6.00pm, 7 days a week. No
dogs are released outside of these hours.
The kennels are located south of Whitchurch on the A41, approximately
300 meters south from the roundabout which intersects the Whitchurch bypass
and the A41.
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As a dog owner how can I avoid paying a penalty
if I’m out with my dog?
The simplest solution is to train your dog to go at home before you
take him for a walk. However, you should always be prepared to clean up
after your dog and should always carry some means of picking up the waste.
Always carry at least two poop scoop bags for each dog every time you
walk your dog.
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What if there are no signs informing me to pick
up my dogs’ waste?
The Dogs
(Fouling of Land) Act 1996 covers almost all land open to the public
with very few exceptions (see ‘Legislation’
for further information). Lack of signs is no defence if you are caught
allowing your dog to foul and not removing the waste.
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What can I use to pick up the waste?
Waste can be picked up using an ordinary plastic carrier bag since they
are inexpensive and easily carried. There are many “poop scoop”
devices that can be obtained from pet stores, vets and other pet suppliers.
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What if there are no bins nearby?
Dog waste suitably wrapped in a plastic bag or similar can be disposed
of in any litter bin or dog waste bin. If none are available nearby, you
should be prepared to carry the waste home where it can be disposed of
with your normal household waste. Lack of bins is no defence should you
be caught leaving dog waste behind. This also applies to littering offences,
all litter should be taken home if there is no litter bin nearby.
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Would I be responsible if I’m walking
somebody else’s dog that fouls
Yes. The
Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act places responsibility to clear up any waste
on ‘the person in charge of the dog’. This need not be the
dogs’ owner. If you are caught allowing a dog to foul and not removing
the waste you are liable for the offence regardless of who actually owns
the dog.
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What can I do if I know of somebody who doesn’t
clean up after his or her dog?
If you wish to report the matter it would help to take some details
of the offender, the dog, and note the time and place the incident occurred.
This information should be passed to the Amenity Wardens at the earliest
opportunity who will decide whether the matter can be taken further. The
more accurate and specific the information that is provided, the greater
the chance that this will result in a dog fouler being penalised. Report
a dog fouling problem online.
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Where does the money from the fixed penalties
go?
The monies collected from the fixed penalties is now retained by the Council. All revenue raised will be used to further improve the service we provide and ensure that our streets, parks and other public places remain clean, safe and pleasant places to be.
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Further contact information:
Telephone: 01978 292040
Email: environmental@wrexham.gov.uk
Complete the online
enquiry form
Address:
Wrexham County Borough Council
Public Protection Department
Crown Buildings
PO Box 1297
Chester Street
Wrexham
LL13 8ZE
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