Dogs Trust Survey
Please put your local authority name in the box below: Please indicate the preferred email address to which future Stray Dog Surveys should be sent (if you prefer the survey to be sent as an Freedom of Information (FOI) request in the future, please include the email for the team that deals with FOI requests): Please provide an alternative email address to the one above, if appropriate (e.g., if you have used an individual email address above, insert a more generic one here, in case of a future change in staff roles): Q1 Is the dog warden service for your local authority: * Employed directly * Contracted out * Both employed directly AND contracted out (e.g. a contractor is used for the out of hours service) * N/A, there is no dog warden service for this local authority * Other (please specify): Q2. If at least part of your dog warden service is employed directly by the council, how many individuals are responsible for this service in the following capacities: Full-time staff members whose role is entirely dedicated to dog warden/ stray dog-related services: Part-time staff members whose role is entirely dedicated to dog warden/ stray dog-related services : Full-time staff whose role includes dog warden services, but also involves other duties, unrelated to dogs (e.g. environmental officer) : _______ Part-time staff whose role includes dog warden services, but also involves other duties, unrelated to dogs (e.g. environmental officer) : _______ Other (please specify): _______ Total : ________ Q3. How many of the following facilities do you have access to for housing stray dogs? (Please note: We are looking for the number of facilities, NOT the number of individual kennels/ capacity within facilities) Council-owned kennels: _______ Private boarding kennels/contractor kennels: _______ Welfare charity kennels: _______ Other (please specify): _______ Total: ________ Q4 If you have multiple facilities available for housing stray dogs, what are the factors that influence your decision on where to take a stray dog? (please select all that apply) ▢ Not applicable- we do not have multiple facilities to choose from ▢ Kennel space ▢ Distance from collection point ▢ Kennel proficiency/ reputation ▢ Cost ▢ Kennel preferences or restrictions based on what breeds they are willing/able to accept (provide more detail in the space below, if necessary) ▢ Kennel preferences or restrictions based on what dog behaviours they are willing/able to accept (provide more detail in the box below, if necessary) ▢ Other (please specify) Q5. What was the total number of dogs handled by your local authority during the period 1st April 2023-31st March 2024? (This includes dogs seized as strays by the local authority, dogs handed in or given up by members of the public, and any other means by which dogs come into your care. This should also include dogs handled by the local authority who were returned to their owner without kenneling.) How many dogs arrived or were taken in between 1st April 2023-31st March 2024: _______ How many dogs were already in your care on 1st April 2023 (i.e. they arrived into your care prior to 1st April 2023) : _______ Total: ________ Q6. Of the dogs arrived or were taken in during the period 1st April 2023-31st March 2024, how many arrived or were taken in for the following reasons? If you do not know this information, or it is not recorded, please just put the total number of dogs taken in (see answer to Q5) into the "unknown" category to move on. Unknown : _______ Taken in as a lost or stray dog (i.e. found without their owner) : _______ Surrendered/relinquished to the local authority by their owner : _______ Other reason (please specify) : _______ Other reason (please specify) : _______ Other reason (please specify) : _______ Total: ________ Q7. Of the dogs that were taken in by your local authority as lost/stray dogs. How many of these dogs arrived at the local authority by the following routes? If you do not know this information, or it is not recorded, please just put the total lost/stray dogs (see answer to Q6) into the "unknown" category to move on. Unknown: _______ Found and collected by dog warden (or equivalent staff member) while out on patrol: _______ Collected by dog warden after being notified by a member of the public: _______ Brought in by a member of the public: _______ Brought in by the police: _______ Brought in via a vet practice: _______ Other reason (please specify): _______ Other reason (please specify): _______ Other reason (please specify): _______ Total: ________ Q8. Of the dogs that arrived or were taken in during the period 1st April 2023-31st March 2024, how many were in response to the Dangerous Dogs Act/Order? (please leave blank if you do not have this information, and put "0" if there were none) ________________________________________________________________ Q9. What were the top three most common breed types taken in between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024? If you do not have this information recorded, please estimate based on your day-to-day experiences. Please indicate your choices by putting the numbers 1, 2 and 3 next to the three most common breeds from the list below. If you want to make a choice that's not on the list, please choose one of the 'other' options and write the breed in the space provided. Breed types Ranking (1 = most common, 2 = second most common, 3 = third most common) Border collie German Shepherd Dog Jack Russell Terrier (or JRT cross) Labrador Lurcher Spaniel (springer or cocker) Staffordshire bull terrier (or SBT cross) Crossbreed (bully mix/type) Crossbreed (collie mix/type) Crossbreed (poodle mix/type) Crossbreed (terrier mix/type) Crossbreed (unknown mix) Other ________________________ Other ________________________ Other ________________________ Q10. Was the information provided in Question 9 (top three most common breeds) an estimate? * Exact answer given (according to our records) * Estimate based on experience Q11. Of the dogs that arrived or were taken in between 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2024, how many were already microchipped when they arrived? Please tell us how many had correct and incorrect owner details on their chips, if you have this information. If you do not know then just put the total number of dogs (see Q5.) in the 'unknown" option: Unknown : _______ Number already microchipped (with CORRECT owner details on chip) : _______ Number already microchipped (with INCORRECT owner details on chip) : _______ Number already microchipped (unknown whether details correct or incorrect) : _______ Number already microchipped (but chip unregistered) : _______ Number already microchipped (but database not recognised in UK) : _______ Number without a microchip : _______ Total : ________ Q12. Of the dogs that were handled between 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2024, how many had the following outcomes? This should add up to the total number of dogs that you said your local authority handled in this period. Unknown : _______ Still in Local Authority kennels after 31st March 2024 : _______ Reunited with their original owners : _______ Rehomed by the local authority (to new owners) : _______ Passed on to a welfare organisation or rehoming centre for possible rehoming after the statutory period : _______ Put to sleep : ______ Other outcome 1 (please specify) : _______ Other outcome 2 (please specify) : _______ Other outcome 3 (please specify) : _______ Total : ________ Q13. Of the dogs that were put to sleep between 1 April 2023- 31 March 2024, how many were put to sleep for the following reasons: If you do not know this information or it is not recorded, please just put the total number put to sleep into the "unknown" category to move on. Skip this question if no dogs were put to sleep. Unknown : _______ Put to sleep due to ill health : _______ Put to sleep due to behavioural problems/aggression : _______ Put to sleep due to Dangerous Dogs Act/Order : _______ Put to sleep due to being unclaimed/no rescue available : _______ Other reason 1 (please specify) : _______ Other reason 2 (please specify) : _______ Other reason 3 (please specify) : _______ Total: ________ Q14. Of the dogs who were reunited with their original owners, how were these dogs reunited? If you do not know this information or it is not recorded, please just put the total number of dogs reunited (see Q12) into the "unknown" category to move on. Unknown: _______ Reclaimed by owners during the statutory local authority kennelling period: _______ Returned directly to the owners without kennelling: _______ Other (please specify): _______ Total: ________ Q15. Of the dogs that were reunited with their owners between 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2024, how many were reunited because you were able to make contact with the owner (e.g. via microchip or ID tag details), and how many were reunited because the owner contacted you? If you do not know this information or it is not recorded, please just put the total number of dogs reunited (see Q12) into the "unknown" category to move on. Unknown : _______ Local authority contacted the owner : _______ Owner contacted the local authority : _______ Total : _______ Q16. Of the dogs that were reunited with their owners as a result of the local authority being able to contact them (see Q15), how many were returned or reclaimed as a result of the following being a primary factor. Unknown : _______ Dog having a microchip (with correct, up to date information) : _______ Dog wearing an identification disc (aka collar and tag) : _______ Dog having a microchip and/or identification disc (unsure which was primary factor) : _______ Dog already known to dog warden : _______ Website for reuniting lost dogs with owners (e.g. doglost.co.uk) : _______ Social media (e.g. lost dog post on a local interest page) : _______ Other factor (please specify) : _______ Other factor (please specify) : _______ Other factor (please specify) : _______ Total : ________ Q17. How often do you deal with dogs who have already been through your Local Authority's stray dog services? (e.g. the same dog is picked up/ brought in on more than one occasion) * Never * Rarely * Sometimes * Often * Very often Please use this space to clarify your answer above, if necessary: ________________________________________________________________ Q18. Do you scan and check the owner details on the dogs microchip (even if they have a tag)? * Always * Most of the time * Occasionally * Never Q19. How many dogs who were microchipped were not able to be returned to their owners from 1st April 2023- 31st March 2024 as a result of the following factors (if you do not have this information, please leave blank): Number of dogs No contact details available. (incorrect details, unregistered chip, or details inaccessible) Unwanted by owner Dog can't be returned for reasons related to Dangerous Dogs Act (e.g. suspected dog of type) Other factor 1 (please specify) Other factor 2 (please specify) Other factor 3 (please specify) Q20. Do you offer a microchipping service? * No * Yes, fully funded (free to the owner) * Yes, partially funded (owner pays reduced fee) * Yes, owner pays the full amount Q21. When a dog is returned to their original owner, is the owner provided with any of the following (as a means to prevent future straying): * Leaflets or flyers created by the council * Signposted to online resources created by the council * Signposted to external resources (e.g. a charity webpage). Please specify below: __________________________________________________ * Verbal advice given by staff * No advice is offered * Other (please specify) Q23. How much do owners need to pay to reclaim their dog? (Please include details such as charges per day in kennels, and any additional fees that can be incurred by owners) ________________________________________________________________ Q24. How much does it cost the Local Authority to keep a dog in kennels (Please indicate if this is the cost per day or a one-off amount. Please also indicate any variations in cost, for example, if the cost of keeping a dog at a private boarding facility is different from a council-owned kennel)