Council’s Dog Wardens Win Top RSPCA Award

Council's Dog Wardens Win Top RSPCA Award

The dog wardens at East Riding of Yorkshire Council have won an RSPCA award for the way in which they care for up to 900 stray dogs a year.

The Gold Footprint Award recognises the way in which the team deals with strays from picking them up through to handing them back to their owners or re-homing them.

This is the sixth year running that the team has achieved the Gold Footprint Award, the highest award the RSPCA gives to local authorities.

Paul Bellotti, said:

“We all love our dogs, but the team sees the other side of it.”

“They deal with stray dogs, complaints about barking dogs, the fouling of pavements and playing fields, dogs that are not under control. The bottom line is that it is not the fault of the dogs but the fault of the owners.”

“The team works hard to ensure that the East Riding remains a great place for both people and dogs. This award recognises their work.”

The award also recognises the team’s achievements in working with the public and their dogs, vets, local communities and other charities. Over the past 12 months, the wardens have carried out micro chipping events, fouling patrols, talking at resident’s meetings, taking part in street surgeries and working with students at local colleges.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council also has a high rate of reuniting dogs with their owners – 74 per cent compared with the national average of 50 per cent.

The breed most likely to be picked up as strays is the Staffordshire bull terrier, with Labradors and Jack Russells in second and third places. Those dogs not reunited with their owners are sent to the RSPCA, Ryedale Rescue and other rescue charities for re-homing.

There are government proposals to make micro-chipping a legal requirement but no date for its introduction or details about it have been announced. The current legal requirement is to have a name and address tag on the dog’s collar.



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