Figures uncovered by local Assembly Member, Janet Finch-Saunders, have revealed the £29,000+ cost per year to house and board stray dogs in Conwy County Borough Council.
The dogs are housed at the Nant Y Corn Kennels in Abergele.
Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, 1,368 stray dogs were collected by the Council, with 1,236 rehomed. 24 were euthanized. The Council stated that “If after 8 days free and clear from seizure the stray dog has not been claimed the kennels are to make arrangements to dispose of the dog either via rehoming, or, in the case of a dog being too ill, infirm or aggressive to be rehomed put to sleep by a registered vet.”
Janet said:
“I am pleased to note that the number of euthanisations has reduced to zero in 2017-18. Every effort should be made to ensure that any animal taken in is given the best possible care and support to enable it to live a healthy life, in a safe environment.
“We have many responsible dog owners in Aberconwy, who take fantastic care of their beloved pets. Clearly, however, owning a dog is a big responsibility – and people must ensure that they are able to offer the right environment, food, shelter and support to their pets.
“It is pleasing to see the numbers of stray dogs slowly decreasing – but they are still far too high. I hope that these findings will help to make people more aware of the scale of this issue.”
ENDS
Notes
FOI response below:
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION RESPONSE
Please outline what the council does with stray dogs.
In 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18:
- How many stray dogs were collected by the council
2015-2016 471
2016-2017 458
2017-2018 439
- Where were they taken to (e.g. kennels - how many to each location)
ALL of our dogs go to Nant Y Corn Kennels in Abergele
- How many of these were re-homed?
2015-2016 423
2016-2017 419
2017-2018 394
- How many of these were euthanized?
2015-2016 19
2016-2017 5
2017-2018 0
- Does the Council have a '7-day' policy in place, and on how many occasions was this kept to?
DOG CLAIMED BY OWNER
- Dog must be claimed by owner within 8 days of seizure.
- Statutory fee and kennel charges must be paid in full to the Kennel prior to the owner receiving their dog.
- Two receipts for this payment must be issued, one is to be given to the dog owner and one is to be attached to the appropriate record in the Stray Dog Seizure, Kennelling and Disposal record book.
- Section E of the appropriate record in The Stray Dog Seizure, Kennelling and Disposal record book must be completed by the Kennel employee who returns the dog to its owner.
- Section C of the appropriate record in the Stray Dog Seizure, Kennelling and Disposal record book must be completed by the dog owner.
DOG NOT CLAIMED
- If after 8 days free and clear from seizure the stray dog has not been claimed the kennels are to make arrangements to dispose of the dog either via rehoming, or, in the case of a dog being too ill, infirm or aggressive to be rehomed put to sleep by a registered vet.
- A dog warden must complete section D of the appropriate record in the Stray Dog Seizure, Kennelling and Disposal record book prior to a dog being destroyed to confirm that is the only appropriate course of action.
- Please provide the dates of welfare inspections carried out at the kennels used by the council, and advise who carried these out (the Council directly, or another body on behalf of the council?)
The animal boarding establishment licences (welfare) inspections were undertaken on the:-
- 10 December 2015 ,
- 5 December 2016 and
- 14 November 2017.
The inspections were carried out under the animal Boarding Establishments act by an Environmental Health Officer for Conwy County Borough Council.
- For each year, what was the cost to the Council for a) boarding stray dogs and b) relevant veterinary fees?
Boarding Stray Dogs
2015/16 £ 29,570.00
2016/17 £ 30,085.00
2017/18 £ 29,180.00
Veterinary Fees
2015/06 £1,091.85
2016/17 £245.73
2017/08 £314.34