Animal Warden Service for St Albans City and District

Most people have an opinion about pets in our community. A pet that is loved, well cared for and properly trained can provide great enjoyment and companionship but any pet can also be a nuisance if the owner behaves irresponsibly or inconsiderately. It is recognised that generally speaking responsible pet owners are intolerant of their uncaring and irresponsible counterparts and appreciate that there are many people who do not share their love and enthusiasm for their chosen companions. St Albans City and District Council are committed to ensuring that any environmental problems, nuisance or dangers associated with irresponsible pet ownership are minimised and are keen to encourage responsible pet ownership by offering education, information and advice through our Animal Warden in addition to our statutory obligations.

The Animal Warden promotes responsible pet ownership and aims to reduce the number of stray dogs in our area. To this end the Animal Warden monitors public highways and public places in the District by patrolling on a regular basis as well as responding to specific enquiries or complaints from our residents on animal related subjects. The Animal Warden also carries out other statutory duties such as the inspection and monitoring of Pet Shops, Animal Boarding Establishments, Dog Breeding Establishments, Dangerous Wild Animals and Riding Establishments.

Following the commencement of Section 68 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 local authorities have sole responsibility for discharging stray dog functions but the police retain duties with regard to dealing with dangerous dogs and dogs found to be worrying livestock. Hertfordshire Police can be contacted on 0845 3300222 at any time.

Under the Dogs Act 1871 if it appears to a court having cognizance of a complaint that a dog is dangerous and not kept under proper control the court may make an order in a summary way directing the dog to be kept by the owner under proper control or destroyed. This legislation applies where a dog is a danger to other animals (including other dogs) and/or to people in any location and where formal action is required complaints of this nature should be made directly to the police. Where formal action is not required by the complainant the Animal Warden can visit the owner of the dog in this District (where known) and give them appropriate advice on training and how to keep the dog under proper control in the future. A record of all visits made by the Animal Warden, advice that has been given and the nature of the original complaint together with any information provided by the subject of the complaint is kept by St Albans City and District Council and may be referred to at a later date.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Section 1 certain types of dogs are prohibited in this Country (Pitbull, Dogo Argentino, Fila Braziliero & Japanese Tosa). Owning or keeping a dog of any of these types is a criminal offence and must be reported directly to the police.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Section 3 a dog of any breed or type shall be regarded as dangerously out of control on any occasion on which there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure any person, whether or not is actually does so. This is a criminal offence and must be reported directly to the police.

Dogs are property and must be treated as such; they may of course be lost or stolen and may also be the subject or cause of criminal damage and therefore compensation for injury or damage may be considered. The owner of any dog which causes a road accident, worries livestock or causes damage may be held strictly liable for the damage caused, which could of course be substantial, even though he or she may not have been with the dog at the time of any incident or accident.

Wherever possible the Animal Warden co-operates and works with residents, other departments in St Albans City and District Council and where appropriate some third parties to identify acceptable solutions to any animal related issues here. Whether a request for assistance is received directly from a concerned owner or by way of complaint the Animal Warden will help if possible and can provide advice on a wide variety of animal related subjects free of charge.

It is always helpful if you can give your name, telephone number and full details of your enquiry or complaint when you contact the Animal Warden so that you may be kept fully informed and any matters requiring clarification can be discussed. All calls to the Animal Warden are dealt with in the strictest confidence and your details will not be released to anyone without permission.

Owners who allow their dogs to wander thus causing distress and possible danger to others are an ongoing problem and under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 St Albans City and District Council has a duty to employ an Officer responsible for the collection of stray dogs and to receive dogs found in the area and brought to them by members of the public.

Any person who takes possession of a stray dog, whether they wish to keep it or not, must, by law return the dog to it’s owner or take the dog to the Officer of the Local Authority for the area where the dog was found in order to register the dog. Finders who have correctly registered a stay dog with the Animal Warden as found in this District will receive written permission to keep the dog until such time as it is claimed by the legal owner (if ever). Any person in possession of a stray dog that has not been properly registered is committing an offence and may be charged with theft, obtaining property by deception and/or receiving stolen goods etc. The legal owner may also lawfully retake the dog from that person and will be justified in the use of reasonable force if necessary. If however a stray dog has been received by and detained by the Animal Warden for seven clear days after seizure, after the service of the appropriate notice or where an owner has not paid the full amount due it will become the legal property of this Local Authority and will be disposed of by the Animal Warden (but not for the purposes of vivisection). Unclaimed stray dogs received here are usually gifted to a rescue centre for rehoming purposes.

The Animal Warden does not have any authority and is not permitted to accept or register dogs that are found outside of the City and District of St Albans but will collect and/or register all dogs found here and made available within this District during normal working hours (9.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank and public holidays).

The Animal Warden maintains records of all dogs reported lost or found in this District and will return any stray dog that has been received by them to it’s owner free of charge on the first occasion provided that the stray dog is wearing proper identification, the owner can be contacted immediately and the stray dog can be returned to the owner before being accepted at our kennels.

If the Animal Warden is unable to contact the person believed to be the owner of a stray dog in their charge a formal notification will be sent to this person at their last known address advising them of how they can reclaim their dog, the time frame in which they must do so and the fees that are due.

Any dog that is found straying in this District without proper identification, whose owner cannot be contacted immediately or that has been received by ourselves previously will be taken directly to our kennels and will not be released to the owner until the necessary fees have been paid and the owner has provided us with proof of ownership of the dog and identification for themselves.

Under the Control of Dogs Order 1992 the law requires every dog to wear a collar with proper identification on it (a tag or badge showing the name and address of the owner) whenever the dog is in a public place and the maximum penalty for not complying with this legislation is currently £2,000. Any other form of identification such as a microchip or tattoo and any other information made available such as a telephone number or the dog’s name are optional.

To contact the Animal Warden please email l.jakeman@stalbans.gov.uk, write, addressing any correspondence to the Animal Warden Service, St Albans City and District Council, District Council Offices, Civic Centre, St Peters Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 3JE or telephone 01727 819371.