Dog warden services

If you find a stray dog please phone 01843 577000. Please note the council provide a stray dog collection service Monday to Friday 7am until 3pm. Excluding Public Holidays.

A stray dog is any dog that is unsupervised in a public place.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 149 Every local authority shall appoint an officer for the purpose of discharging the functions imposed or conferred by this section for dealing with stray dogs found in the area of the authority.

Please note the council provides a stray dog service Monday to Friday 7am until 3pm. Excluding Public Holidays.

1. The statutory Government prescribed fee of £25 and a £80 administration fee* is payable before a dog can be returned. This is to be paid via the call centre on 01843 577000 or in the Gateway Margate. (The Dog warden will be able to advise to the fee required.) Any vets fees may be charged separately, if appropriate.
2. The Dog Wardens will try to return a dog home if the owner can be located. The dog will otherwise be taken to kennels. Kennelling fees of £13.00 per day will be charged along with the statutory Government prescribed fee and administration fee*.
3. Unclaimed dogs will be kept for 7 clear days, and attempts will be made to rehome it or give it to a dog rescue centre. If this is not possible, it may be destroyed. However, the council has never had a healthy dog destroyed.

* The administration fee of £80.00 will contribute to the cost of running the stray dog service, which includes employing staff, leasing vehicles, delivering dogs, associated running costs and the purchase of specialist equipment.

The Control of Dogs Order 1992 makes it an offence for a dog not to wear a collar bearing the name and address of the owner. Failure to observe this law could lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £2,000.

You must

• Ensure that your dog has a collar with an up-to-date tag at all times.
• Make sure that your garden is escape-proof before you leave your dog alone there.
• Do not allow your dog to run loose on it’s own. This is irresponsible and unfair on other residents.
• Report dogs that regularly stray to the Dog Wardens.
• The Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on councils to collect stray dogs.

To report a dangerous dog, you will need to contact Kent police non-emergency on 101 or report this online. If it is an emergency 999

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 makes it an offence:

• to own a dog that is a serious danger to the public. The Police decide when to take action in such cases in Thanet but it usually follows a serious dog biting incident
• for a dog to be “dangerously out of control” in a public place, i.e. it appears likely to cause serious injury to a person

The owner of a dog mentioned in points 1 or 2 may be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000. The magistrates may also order that the dog is destroyed or controlled in some way, e.g. muzzled and on a lead at all times in public.

The Act also makes it illegal to own, breed from, sell, give away, or have in public without a lead or muzzle, an unregistered Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Filo Braziliera or Japanese Tosa. This also bears a fine of up to £5,000.

The Dogs Act 1871 can also be used to place a Control Order on a dog, i.e. requiring that it should be muzzled or kept on a lead etc.

Under the Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003, Thanet District Council along with Kent Police can also serve an Acceptable Behaviour Agreement (ABA) on the dog owner asking the owner to agree to certain restrictions. In extreme circumstances, officers could even apply to the Court for an Anti Social Behaviour Order, which could prohibit an individual from walking a dog in certain areas or even owning a dog.

Avoid having a dangerous dog

• Ensure that your dog is well socialised with people and other animals from a young age.
• Do not encourage them to bite, even in play, or to guard your property or yourselves aggressively. Make sure his bark is worse than his bite.
• Ensure that he is well trained so that you can keep them under control at all times.
• Use a muzzle and a lead if you have any doubts about your dog’s temperament.
• A dog may be good with people but not other dogs. You should still be careful as a large percentage of dog bites occur when owners are trying to separate dogs that are fighting
• Report a dog biting incident to your local police immediately.

Banned dogs

In the UK, it’s against the law to own certain types of dogs. These are the:

• Pit Bull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro

It’s also against the law to:

• sell a banned dog
• abandon a banned dog
• give away a banned dog
• breed from a banned dog

To report a noisy dog, please contact Thanet District Council’s Environmental Health team on 01843 577000 or report online here.

A dog that barks or howls a lot can be extremely annoying to a nearby resident.

An owner may not be aware that his/her dog is making any noise, particularly if it happens when the owner is at work.

There are a number of reasons why a dog may bark a lot. Perhaps it:

• is suddenly left on its own during the day when it has not been left alone before. This can be very distressing for the animal.
• does not get enough physical exercise.
• is bored, i.e. not enough mental exercise.
• sees or hears people or other animals close by.
• has been encouraged to bark by the owner, a previous owner or maybe local children.

• 1. Under section 80 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 it is an offence to cause a Statutory Nuisance to another resident. Most dogs bark at sometime or other but if this barking is noisy and regular enough it can be a Statutory Nuisance.

• 2. Following a complaint, a member of the Environmental Health team would investigate and make a decision on whether a noisy dog was causing a statutory nuisance.

• 3. Where a statutory nuisance exists, the owner of the dog could be served with an abatement notice requiring them to stop the dog causing the nuisance within a set time period. Failure to heed this notice could lead to prosecution and heavy fines of up to £5000.

• 4. If you rent your home, you could also be served with an injunction by your landlord under the ASB Act 2003 if dog barking constitutes a breach in your tenancy conditions.

Ask your neighbours if there are any noise problems when you leave your dog. It is better to find out sooner rather than later if there is.

Enquiries concerned with animal cruelty or animals in distress should be made directly to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals RSPCA or by calling 0300 1234999

You can report dog fouling here. 

Thanet District Council has a zero-tolerance to littering and dog fouling in all public spaces. If an enforcement officer witnesses someone not picking up after their dog under The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, £100 Fixed Penalty Notices can be issued.

If the penalty notice is not paid, Thanet District Council will take you to court, A fine of up to £2500 may be payable.

• Always look at the signage before you enter a beach or promenade in the summer months to check there is no restriction. When walking your dog always take a poop scoop or bags with you. It is your duty as a dog owner to clean up after your dog
• You can train your dog to foul in your own garden, which makes it easier for you to clean up after them
• To prevent the spread of toxocariasis, make sure children wash their hands when they have been playing with a dog or somewhere that dogs have been. Make sure that your dog is given worming tablets regularly, following your vet’s instructions, as the disease is caused by a type of roundworm

Yes but there are certain restrictions at certain times of the year. Please Click Here for more information.

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014

The Public Spaces Protection Order – (Thanet District Council) 2020

Thanet District Council (in this order called ‘’the Authority‘’) hereby makes the following Order:

This Order comes into force on the 25 October 2020 for a period of 3 years.

View the PSPO in full here

• Dalby Square, Cliftonville.
• Westbrook, On the green above Barnes Car park.
• Walpole Bay, Cliftonville at the bottom of the slope.
• Hawley Square, Margate
• Northdown Park, near the library and children’s play area
• Dane ValleyRoad, opposite the shops
• Albion Place Gardens
• Western Undercliff.
• King George VI park, Victoria Parade Entrance
• Jackey Bakers field, Highfield Road Entrance
• Royal Esplanade, Ramsgate (Government Acre) next to the Lookout cafe
• Ellington Park, Ellington Road Entrance
• Piermont Park, near the fountain
• Viking Bay, next to the Pavilion
• Dumpton Gap, at the top of the slope to the beach.
• Victoria Gardens, Broadstairs Victoria Parade entrance
• St Peters Recreation ground, Callis Court Road entrance
• Joss Bay, On the slope to the beach
• West Bay, Opposite The Swan Pub
• Lymington Road park, near the entrance  
• Station Road on the green junction of Alpha Road, Birchington
• Minnis Bay, next to the Minnis restaurant
• Cliffsend Village, next to the shop and the children’s play area
• Viking Ship, Pegwell Bay
• Minster Recreation Ground, near the entrance
• Monkton, Millers Lane
• Manston Park, near the entrance

Under section 149 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Environmental Protection (Stray Dogs) Regulations 1992, a register of seized dogs is maintained by the dog warden service. This information is not live and if you are trying to locate your dog which may have strayed please contact the council on 01843 577000

Stray Dogs seized (by year)

2023 (Year to Date)

2022

2021