Dog Control
ListenEveryone accepts that dogs do not always come back when called but if a dog is out and not under control it may be picked up by a dog warden. Every effort is made to return a dog to its owner but if there is no collar with address or the dog has not been ‘chipped’ the dog will be taken to the kennels. It is an offence for a dog to be in a public place without a collar and tag with the owner's name and address on it.
If you have found or lost a dog please one of our online forms:
Alternatively, you can contact us on 01344 352000.
If you have lost your dog and we find it, you will need to pay to have it returned.
The fees are calculated as follows:
| Statutory fee* payable to Bracknell Forest Borough Council | £25.00 |
| Charge for collection during office hours | £53.00 |
| Charge for dogs collected out of office hours (17.00 to 09.00 Monday to Friday, weekends and bank holidays) | £95.00 |
| Any vets fees incurred | At cost |
| You may also be required to pay additional costs direct to the kennels. |
* The £25 statutory fee is prescribed by The Environmental Protection (Stray Dog) Regulations 1992.
Once payment has been made at the Council office within Time Square, a receipt will be issued together with instructions on how the owner may collect their dog. Please note that a dog will not be released by the kennels without production of the receipt.
If the contractor returns a dog directly to the owner immediately after finding it, an invoice will be sent to the owner of the dog as soon as possible after the rescue.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires the local authority to keep a stray dog for up to seven clear days after seizure. After this period the dog becomes the property of the Council and whilst every effort is made to re-home it, sometimes this is not possible and it has to be put down.
Barking comes naturally to dogs but noise from barking or whining can become a nuisance to neighbours. Often the problem occurs when the owner is out, so the owners don’t even know about it until someone complains to the Environmental Health team.
There are practical steps which can be taken to minimise or stop your dog from barking explained in our Noise - Barking Dogs information leaflet.
This can be a great cause of concern to the public, particularly in areas where young children play, on account of the health threats associated with dog faeces, in particular toxocariasis which can lead to eye problems and blindness.
There are, however, fewer than 100 cases of toxicariasis each year nationally and the risk is therefore considered to be low. However, the nuisance element of dog fouling means that the Council will do all it can to reduce its impact.
Over 600 litter bins have been provided in the borough and these can be used for the disposal of bagged dog mess and some special dog waste bins have also been provided.
The Council’s street cleansing team provides a service for removing animal waste. The service applies to all public sites and adopted roads that are managed by the Council. Incidents may be reported using our report a street cleansing problem form.
The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 makes it an offence for any person in control of a dog not to remove dog faeces after fouling on designated public areas. A fixed penalty notice can be issued to offenders and they can be fined up to £1,000 by the magistrates' courts if this is not paid.
It is often difficult for officers of the Council to witness an offence but if you do witness a person failing to pick up after their dog has fouled, a fixed penalty notice can be issued to the offender if you complete our 
Dog Fouling Witness Statement Form (21kb) and return it to the Council.
It should be noted that if you complete a witness statement you may be required to give evidence in court to support your statement if the fixed penalty is not paid.
If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place, in accordance with the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the police have powers to seize a dog and if anyone has been injured then they may ask the courts for an order for it to be destroyed. The police should be contacted on 0845 8505505.
A civil case may also be taken to the magistrates’ court (Dogs Act 1871) if a dog is not kept under proper control and is dangerous and this does not apply to just public places. It is advisable, however, to seek legal advice on this matter in the first instance.
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