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Dogs

Stray Dogs
Each year the Council picks up about 100 stray dogs. Wherever possible the dogs are returned to their owners.

If the owner is not identified the stray dog is taken to Council-appointed kennels and the owner will have seven days to claim their pet.

Reporting Strays
During office hours between 8 am and 4.30pm you can report a stray dog online or by telephoning 01993 861020.

From April 6th the Police will no longer accept stray dogs out of hours. The Council assumes this role. Between 5pm and 8 am, if you have caught a stray dog you can report it and arrange collection by calling 01993 705056.

After seven days, unclaimed dogs become the Council's property. Some go to dog rescue centres and some are re-homed by us.

Re-homing dogs
If you are interested in re-homing a dog, please complete the Application to re-home a dog form. The Council will always, wherever possible, re-home stray dogs with families that have no children under the age of 12 years.

Barney, pictured above, was brought in as a stray in Chipping Norton and has successfully been re-homed. He is now a much loved family pet and his owners cannot imagine life without him.

Dog Fouling

Dog faeces carry many germs that can cause illness and in extreme cases could result in blindness. It is both offensive to smell and to look at, and is extremely unpleasant to step in.

The offence of dog fouling is considered to have taken place when a person permits a dog in their charge to foul in a public place and fails to clean up immediately afterwards.

Failure to so do can result in a Fixed Penalty Charge of £25 or up to £1000 upon conviction in court.

We offer special 'poop scoop' bags free to members of the public.
There are over 500 dog waste bins installed throughout the district.
Aluminium dog fouling warning signs and self-adhesive stickers are also available.

You can Report Dog Fouling online

For more help and advice about dealing with dog fouling please read our leaflet entitled 'Environmental Nuisance - Is your conscience clear'

Dog Barking

The Council receives many complaints each year about barking dogs. More often than not the barking occurs when the owner is out and the noise can cause considerable nuisance to neighbours.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 it is an offence to create noise nuisance. A constantly barking dog can be considered a noise nuisance when the barking is found to be unreasonable or excessive. In such cases the Council is legally bound to act to reduce or eliminate the noise.

There are many reasons why dogs bark and here are a few:

Loneliness - dogs are naturally gregarious animals and can become distressed when left alone
Boredom and frustration
Attention seeking
Defending territory
Medical problems

For more help and advice about dealing with barking dogs please read our leaflet entitled 'Environmental Nuisance - dogs barking'