Stray dogs

Stray dogs are a major problem in Belfast, with our dog wardens picking up hundreds of animals from our streets each year.

The dogs pose a hazard to themselves and to others, with many killed or injured in road accidents, and they also contribute to nuisance barking and fouling.

According to the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983, any dog found wandering in a public place on his own is considered a stray.

Dog fouling is a big problem in Belfast, and much of this problem is caused by stray dogs.

Be a responsible owner by keeping your dog under supervision and control at all times.

If you own a dog, it's your responsibility to make sure it does not stray.

What if my dog strays?

If we find stray dogs, and identify their owners, we can issue a fixed penalty notice on the owner. The fixed penalty notice is £80 (£50 if paid within 14 days). The dog may also have a control condition imposed on it.

However, if the owner does not pay the fine we can take the owner to court where they can be fined up to £1,000. Breach of a control condition may result in prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500

Reporting a stray dog

If you find a stray dog, call our dog wardens on 028 9027 0431.

They'll arrange to collect it. You may also be asked for:

your name, address and telephone number
a description of the dog including its type, colour, size and approximate age
the time, date and location where you found the dog.

It's a criminal offence not to report a stray dog.

Advice for dog owners

You can help reduce the number of stray dogs on our streets by following these simple steps:

consider getting your dog neutered to prevent unwanted litters
fit your dog with a microchip so it can be traced if it goes missing
check that you have a valid dog licence
take responsibility for your dog and make sure you always know where it is.

Control conditions

The Dogs (Amendment) Act 2011 introduced a system of control conditions allowing authorised officers, in the event of certain breaches of the Order, to require the keeper of a dog to take one or more of a series of measure to improve the control of that dog.

Under the Order an authorised officer may serve a notice imposing one or more control conditions on the dog's licence if a dog:

strays
attacks a person
attacks another owned animal or livestock
is not under control on certain roads or lands.

So, if a dog has strayed, attacked a person or someone else's pet, worried livestock or been out of control on certain specified roads or on land where there is livestock, an authorised officer may issue a notice requiring that:

the dog be kept muzzled when in a public place
the dog be kept under control (that is, on a lead held by someone strong enough to restrain the dog) when in a public place
the dog be kept securely confined in a building, yard or other enclosure when not under control
the dog be kept away from any specified place or type of place
the dog be neutered (if male) within 30 days of the date on which the notice comes into effect, and
the keeper (with his dog) undergo a specified course of training before the end of six months from the date on which the notice takes effect.

A fixed penalty notice can be issued to an owner for failure to comply with a control condition. The fixed penalty notice will be £80 (£50 if paid within 14 days).

Failure to pay the fixed penalty may result in a fine of £2,500.