Animal Welfare Service
The Animal Welfare Service deals with a number of different issues, including dealing with stray dogs over the entire Winchester district, which covers a 240 square mile area from Hursley to West Meon, and Micheldever to Denmead.
A few things our animal welfare officers deal with include;
- All complaints relating to dogs such as noise control and dangerous dogs, except cruelty and welfare issues which are dealt with by the RSPCA or the National Cruelty Helpline on 08705 555 999.
- Stray and lost dogs.
- Arrange for dogs to be re-homed to rescue centres if they are not reclaimed.
- Patrol areas of the district for dog fouling.
- Visit people in their own homes to offer advice on dog behavioural problems and suitable training.
- Animal Licensing.
There are roughly 6.9 million dogs in Britain, which equates to one for every eight people. Winchester City Council employs two Animal Welfare Officers to promote responsible dog ownership through advice, education and, where appropriate, enforcement.
The service is available five days a week from 8.30am to 17.00pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 16.30 on Friday, all year round, apart from bank holidays. Stray dogs need to be reported before 3.30pm Monday to Thursday and 3.00pm on Fridays.
A misconception many members of the public have is that Dog Wardens want nothing more than to put dogs down. But this is far from the truth.
Animal Welfare Officers work very hard and do everything possible to re-unite pets with their owners and to deal with complaints using the resources that are available to them. This is one reason why their title has changed to Animal Welfare Officer - also to align them more closely with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Animal Licensing regulations.
The Animal Welfare Officers also spend time educating people on the appropriate ways to keep and look after their dogs.
The Animal Welfare Service works in close partnership with all the relevant agencies that deal with animal welfare issues and liaises with many agencies, including:
- RSPCA
- Local Veterinary Surgeons
- The Police
- Animal Rescues Centres
- Dog Training Schools
- Housing Departments
- Local Councillors
- Private Kennels
- EHO and technicians
- The Public
A small part of what we have done in 2007 to 2008:
Stray Dogs:
- Returned 68% of dogs to owners
- Re-homed 32% of dogs
- Put to sleep 0% of dogs
The number of dogs re-homed has increased over 5% on the year before.
Lost Dogs:
- Received over 180 lost and stolen dog calls.
Dog Waste:
- Collected over 66 tonnes of dog waste in the bins provided.
We do not take anonymous complaints as we need to be able to contact the complainants for more information on the situation.
