Local councils and the Police have agreed to work together to deal with stray dogs once new legal arrangements come into force next week. Under a change in the law, the Police will no longer have a legal responsibility to deal with stray dogs found by the public. District councils, such as Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire, will have to deal with them. However, the Police will still receive dogs at Parkside Police Station, in Cambridge, out of office hours, and keep them overnight until the councils can transfer them to kennels the following day.
Principal Environmental Health Officer for Cambridge City Council, Robert Osbourn, and Environmental Services Manager for South Cambridgeshire District Council, Paul Quigley explained that this would help the public to know what to do if they either lose or find a dog. "Dogs found straying out of hours can be taken to Parkside Police Station and will be looked after there. If you have lost your dog then always check with Parkside, as well as your local council, to claim it back. There will be a charge to cover the costs of dealing with your dog. Dogs not claimed back overnight from the Police will be taken to kennels on the following day."
"The law requires every dog to wear a collar and identification tag, so the owner can be contacted, if needed. Many stray dogs end up in kennels because they don’t have a tag and this can sometimes end up being very expensive for their owners, so we would encourage all dog owners to go out and get their dog a collar and tag today."
Sergeant Shane Fasey, said, "We are happy to continue working with local councils on stray dogs, so that they don’t become a problem for people. There have been several incidents this year where unaccompanied roaming dogs have become aggressive and have injured both people and other animals. We would want everyone to keep proper control over their dogs, to avoid these problems."
Anyone who has lost their dog and needs to contact Parkside Police Station should call 0845 456 456 4 and ask for the Enquiry office. During office hours, Cambridge City Council can be contacted on 01223 457890 and South Cambridgeshire District Council on 08450 50500.
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