ANYONE who has ever lost a dog in Basingstoke and Deane has probably met Laura Yeates.

Laura has been a dog warden for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) for 16 years during which time she estimates she has helped 3,500 dogs.

In April last year, it became compulsory for dog owners to microchip their canines in a bid to both help return dogs to their owners more quickly and find owners whose pets have attacked people.

However, Laura says she is still finding dogs without microchips. She said: “Ultimately, I think it will help in the long-term. But it is in owners’ interest to their dogs chipped as if you don’t, it makes it a lot harder to reunite them.

“People often forget when they move house that their dog’s details are not updated automatically so that is an important thing to remember.”

Laura, whose work has earned BDBC the RSPCA Gold Footprint award for the way in which it cares for dogs, said: “We have a non-destruction policy, we do not put dogs down except when it is on veterinary advice. Even the rehoming centres we send dogs to have the same policy. That is really important to us.

“And that’s why I walk them everyday as when we send them to rescue, they have to know its temperament to be able to find it a new home.”

The borough covers approximately 250 square miles so Laura’s patch is huge.

But in among the miles covered and the 3,500 dogs helped, one reunification still sticks in mind.

A couple of months ago, she handled a call involving an elderly man with Alzheimer’s who had taken the family dog on a walk in the countryside.

He had tied the Jack Russell to a post while attempting to find a way over a fence, went off to find help and had got confused about what he had done with the dog.

Laura said: “It took me six days to track him [the dog] down. It became a huge community effort, we had so many people out there looking. It was great to have that support “He [the dog] was so happy when we found him - to be honest, I was expecting to find a dead dog but it was amazing. He had dug himself a little pit to sleep in and it had been raining which helped him. How he survived I do not know.

“And then, once we had reunited him with the elderly man, we were sent a picture of them together which was lovely. That’s what makes the job so worthwhile.”

But the role is more than just re-uniting lost dogs - Laura is responsible for reducing dog fouling, imposing ‘dog behaviour contracts’ (such as dogs have to be on leads when walked or wearing a muzzle) and dealing with deceased cats.

Laura, who is currently serving as the chair of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Dog Warden Association, added: “It has changed a lot since I first started the job. But the key aspect is having that experience as you learn. For example, lost dogs usually hang around where they were lost. They go on a triangle back and forth.

“There has been some sad moments and there have been times when I have cried.

“But, you focus on the nice parts and it is such a satisfying feeling when you get that dog home. The look on people’s faces makes the job.”

Laura, with the RSPCA, is holding a free dog microchipping session at the Westside Community Centre/Russell Howard Pavilion on Saturday, 2 September, from 10am-3pm.