THE borough council’s dog warden service has received an RSPCA Gold Community Welfare Footprint Award for leading the way in handling stray dogs.

The accolade recognises the quality of the service provided by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s dog warden and environmental health team, as well as the Community Safety Patrol Officers, in the treatment and welfare of stray dogs, the out of hours service and the partnership working done to promote responsible ownership.

Laura Yeates, the borough council’s dog warden, picks up unaccompanied dogs in order to minimise the problems they cause and ensure their safety, as well as working with charities to re-home them.

The local authority’s environmental health team supports the service by dealing with dog welfare issues, noise complaints relating to barking dogs and dog fouling complaints.

Dog owners are expected to keep their pets under proper control and are legally required to ensure they wear a collar and ID so they can be reunited if they escape.

Any dog that is dealt with as a stray will incur a release fee, kennelling charge and possibly, an out of hours fee, and dog owners are also being reminded that from April 2016 all dogs over eight weeks old must be microchipped and registered or they risk prosecution and a £500 fine.

Cabinet member for regulatory services and the environment, Councillor Hayley Eachus, said: “I am delighted that the council’s dog warden service has been recognised for the high standards of its animal welfare service.

“Dog owners can really help the team by ensuring that their pets are kept safe, are tagged and microchipped and by picking up after them. By getting your dog tagged and microchipped it means you can be reunited as quickly as possible if they go astray.”

For more information or to request a booklet, please call 01256 844844, email customer.service@basingstoke.gov.uk or to view the booklet online, visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/animalresponsibilities.