The Council’s service for the collection of stray dogs is provided by private sector contractors: Pest Express Ltd. The stray dog collection service operates from 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week. If you find a stray dog outside of these hours , you will have to make arrangements for it until the dog warden is available. Only dogs that have been found straying within North Kesteven and are detained for collection by the dog warden will be collected.
Stray dogs that are collected will, where possible, be returned to their homes on the first occasion they are caught. If it isn’t possible to take them home (for example if the dog does not wear a tag or their chip details are out of date), or if they are repeatedly caught, they are taken to kennels where they await collection by their owners.
To collect a stray from the kennels, the owner will need to pay a collection fee. This can be found in our Public Protection Fees Licencing document.
For information on dogs found in the district, see the Pest Express website.
Please note that in a small number of occasions the dog collector may take the stray dog straight to the kennels before contacting Pest Express. As such, if you have lost your dog and it is not listed on the Pest Express website after a few days, it is advised that you call our Environmental Health team on 01529 308287 and we can inform you if your dog has been taken straight to the kennels.
For stray dogs out of office hours that are unable to be kept until the next working day, contact the Council’s out of hours service on either of the numbers given below. Note that only captive and restrained stray dogs will be collected and the Council will not be able to respond to reports of loose or roaming dogs.
Any issues of dangerous dogs or animals affecting the highway should be reported to the police.
If a lost dog is in the Council’s possession, owners can be assured the dog is safe and being well cared for. Arrangements for its return can be made during normal hours.
The National Pet Register will help with your search.
To report a stray dog, or to enquire whether your dog has been collected and taken to the kennels, contact us using the details below.
- 01529 414155 (during working hours)
- 01529 308308 (out of hours emergency number)
- General enquiries form