Kennels under pressure amid increased stray dogs
Dogs are being abandoned and are flooding the Council's kennel system as they wait for new homes
Pressure is building on Wiltshire Council's kennel system after more than 60 stray dogs have been picked up by dog wardens in the last three months.
The authority is calling on the public to play their part in tackling the issue, by ensuring they can be successfully reunited with a lost pet or by offering a home to one that hasn't been claimed by an owner.
Dog Control Manager, Emma Carroll, says many have been abandoned.
"We're finding more dogs being dumped. This can be through medical reasons because, you know, they've got ongoing health issues and the owners just can't afford to have them treated. People taking dogs on which they're not no longer able to look after for various reasons, so again they might be dumped," she said.
Once dogs have been picked up, they're held for seven days before being put into kennels and the rehoming process begins.
In the last three months, 20 Lurcher dogs have been collected by wardens and are linked to suspected hare coursing.
These dogs are believed to have been left behind by hare coursing gangs and only three of the 20 picked up have had people come forward to claim them.
It means the remaining 17 are now in the kennel system, waiting to be rehomed.
Emma explained that these dogs can be difficult to rehome due to their size, with many people hoping to adopt a dog seeking a smaller pet.
She added: "Some of the dogs can be harder to rehome because they've never lived inside a house, so they might need some dedicated training and a potential owner to come forward who's willing to put in the work to make them the really good dog that they can be."
Dogs left in poor conditions
The experience of being abandoned is traumatic for the dogs, some of which are injured.
"We had one recently with a broken leg and they're underweight," Emma said.
She revealed that they'd collected one dog that had been found tied to a lamppost.
"Shortly after she was taken to the kennels, around nine days later, she gave birth to eleven puppies!" Emma said.
She added: "She was so underweight that she was unable to feed those puppies naturally, so they had to go to Foster and they were hand rear by foster carers. So you can imagine the strain that puts on the kennels when they're having to hand rear 11 puppies and look after the mother, who's also underweight."
Fortunately, all 11 puppies survived and are now awaiting their forever homes.
How we can help
We're being urged to do our bit in helping ease the strain on the kennel system.
Dog owners are told to make sure their pets microchip information is up to date. When details aren't updated, it can make it very difficult for wardens to reunite pets with their owners.
Emma said: "The dog wardens have microchip scanners, the vets have microchip scanners. So, if your dog is found by somebody, they can scan that and the details on your microchip should be up to date and accurate and the vets or the dog wardens can then call you.
"It's also a legal requirement for a dog to have a collar and tag, and that should have your phone number on there. If your dog is found by a member of the public, they could call you."
It is a legal requirement for dogs to be microchipped, and details can be checked on check-a-chip.co.uk.
Emma said: "That website will tell you which database your microchip is on, and then you can go on there. You may have to pay a small fee and you then update your details from there."
The Council is asking us to:
Report any stray dogs to the Dog Warden Team on 0300 456 0107 (available 24 hours).
Report suspicious activity to the Police, such as groups of people with dogs on farmland, especially if vehicles are parked in remote areas or gates appear tampered with.
Respect private land and stick to public rights of way. Trespassing not only damages crops and property but can escalate tensions in rural communities.
If we suspect hare coursing is taking place, were are told to call 999 immediately.