Found a pet

If you have found a pet, check whether the pet has a tag with contact details on. If it does, try contacting the owner.

If not, please take the lost pet straight to a local vet or contact your local animal warden. This will be the quickest and easiest way to find the owner. They will be able to scan the pet for a microchip number and contact the registered owners.

Local authorities have responsibility for dealing with stray dogs and they are required to employ dog wardens to collect any dog believed to be a stray. If a stray dog is found outside office hours, it can be taken to the local police station where it will usually be held until the dog warden can be contacted.

If the animal is microchipped, the dog warden service will have access to microchip databases and will search for the details so that they can return the pet to its rightful owner as soon as possible.

The Environment Protection Act 1990 requires the finder of a stray dog to return the dog to its owner, or contact the local authority (dog warden service) to report it and have it collected, or to take the dog to the police station nearest to where the dog was found.