Bournemouth Borough Council employs two full time dog wardens. They are responsible for enforcing relevant legislation, and byelaws, which deal with issues arising from the keeping of dogs as pets.
The dog wardens investigate reports of dog fouling and take prosecutions as necessary. They respond to complaints regarding stray dogs and every effort is made to reunite them with their owners. Reports of dangerous dogs or complaints where someone has been bitten by a dog are fully investigated and legal action pursued where necessary. They also respond to complaints of barking dogs.
The dog warden is not responsible for the mistreatment or neglect of dogs. If you are concerned about the treatment of a dog you should contact the RSPCA.
The dog warden service can be contacted on 01202 451306 during office hours of 0830 to 1715. The dog warden is happy to offer advice in the following areas:
Lost Dogs
Found Dogs
Indentification
Fouling
Dog Barking
Control of Dogs
If you lose your dog then you should report it to the dog warden service on 01202 451306 as soon as possible -you will be asked for details on the type of dog, colour, sex and where and when it was lost. You will be asked if the dog has a collar and tag on as well.
These details will be recorded in a register and any dogs picked up or reported to the council as found will be checked against the register. You will be contacted when/if your dog is found. Please let the Dog Warden Service know if you find the dog.
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If you find a dog you should contact the dog warden service on 01202 451306 - these details will be recorded in a register and checked against the record of lost dogs to see if there is a match. If no owner has come forward or the owner is not contactable the dog warden will endeavour to collect the dog that same day. The dog will be taken to secure kennels and cared for until the owner is found or contacted.
The owner will be advised that the dog has been found and that there are fees to pay before the dog will be returned to them. These fees include the cost of seizure of the dog by the dog warden, vaccination by a veterinary surgeon and kennelling fees, which are charged on a daily basis.
If no owner comes forward or they decide not to claim the dog, then it is kept for 7 full days, following which it is legally signed over to be rehomed. No dogs are put to sleep except in exceptional circumstances.
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The Animal Health Act 1981 (as amended) makes it an offence to allow a dog in a public place not wearing a collar and tag bearing the owners identity. It is essential to ensure that the contact details are kept up to date.
If your dog is lost and returned to you and it has no collar then you will be sent a letter advising you to get a collar and tag. If the dog if found out with no collar and tag a further time then you may be liable to appear in the Magistrates Court where on conviction the maximum fine is £5000.
It is not a legal requirement to have your dog micro chipped. The dog wardens have a scanner but this not always effective as microchips move around inside the dog. Even if your dog is micro chipped you MUST also ensure that your dog wears a collar and tag when out in public.
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It is a fact of life that dogs will foul at some stage when they are out in public places. Responsible dog owners should automatically clear the mess up. Sadly this is not always the case.
Within the Borough of Bournemouth all made up public highways and council owned parks and open spaces are subject to a byelaw requiring the owner to pick up after their dog. There are information stickers throughout the borough, informing people that they are in a poop scoop area, however it is best to assume at all times that you are in a poop scoop area even if there are no stickers.
If you have a problem with excessive fouling in your area or you require stickers to be put up then contact the dog warden service on 01202 451306. The dog wardens will be asked to carry out monitoring of the area and put up stickers.
If a dog warden witnesses a dog being allowed to foul and the mess is not immediately removed by the person responsible for the dog, the dog warden may issue a fixed penalty notice of £50.00. If the fixed penalty notice is not paid the matter will be referred to the Magistrates Court where the maximum fine is up to £1000.
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All dogs will periodically bark, however if the dog is left alone for long periods of time or it is bored then it will bark for long periods of time. This can cause annoyance and distress to neighbours. To read the Government advice leaflet "Is your dog barking too much?".
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If you have a problem with a barking dog the first thing you should do is talk with the owner, who may not be aware that the dog barking is causing a problem. If this does not work then contact the dog warden service on 01202 451306.
You will be sent noise record sheets. These sheets are needed to determine how often, how long and when the dog barks. If the records show that the barking is possibly a nuisance based on the frequency and duration of the barking then further investigations will be carried out. The dog wardens will visit the owner and discuss the problem, the details of who complains to us are kept fully confidential.
In extreme cases legal action can be taken against the owner of the dogs if they are unwilling to address the problem. This can result in a fine on conviction of up to £5,000 per offence.
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Dangerous dogs
Dog owners are responsible for ensuring that their dogs are kept under proper control so as not to cause a nuisance or a danger to people or other animals. Owners should know how their dog will behave when coming across people and animals it is not familiar with.
If your dog is aggressive or hard to control then in order to prevent it harming or annoying other people or their animals you should consider keeping it on a lead and muzzling it if necessary. It is essential to get your dog trained and to follow any recommendations by your vet.
Where a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place, and has injured someone or another dog our Officers may be able to take action to deal with the incident to prevent it happening again. This is not possible in cases where no details are provided about the name and address of the owners of any dogs involved in such incidents.
Dangerous breeds
It is an offence to own or keep the following dog types unless they are on the index of exempted dogs and comply with its requirements.
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Fila Braziliero
Should you have one of these types of dogs it must be on the index of exempt dogs and kept in accordance with its requirements including keeping it on a lead and muzzled when in a public place. For more information see ‘The Control of Dogs’ in the Animal Welfare part of DEFRA’s website.
If you do not meet these requirements you may be found guilty of a criminal offence and a Court may order the animal to be destroyed.
Dog attacks and aggression
Should you or your dog be attacked by another dog please report the matter to our Animal Health Officers Tel: 01202 451309 or email the Animal Welfare Team. You may be required to give a witness statement for use in court.
We do not have the power to force dog owners whose dog has injured your animal to pay your vet bills.
Dog owners should be aware that if their dog has been proved to be dangerous and not under proper control the court can issue a control order forcing the dog owner to keep the dog on a lead or muzzeled at all time. It is only in very extreme c ases that a dog will be destroyed. If your dog has injured another person the courts have the power to imprison its owner and disqualify them from owning a dog for as long as they think necessary.
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