Council wins award for work with stray dogs

Charnwood Borough Council has been recognised by the RSPCA for its outstanding work with dogs.

The RSPCA PawPrints Awards cover five areas of service provided by the public sector that has an impact on animal welfare, including stray dog services, housing, contingency planning, animal establishments licensing and kennelled dog welfare.

Each award has three levels – bronze, silver and gold – and Charnwood Borough Council has won gold for its work to look after stray dogs in the borough, in partnership with College Garth Kennels in Hathern.

In the past year, the council has collected 114 stray dogs from across the borough, a 25% decrease on last year when 151 strays were collected. They are taken to College Garth Kennels and kept there for a minimum of seven days. If unclaimed, the dogs are made available for rehoming.

Councillor Margaret Smidowicz, lead member for regulatory services at the council, said: “It was great to discover that we have been recognised by the RSPCA for our work with stray dogs.

“The environmental health team, along with the College Garth Kennels, do a superb job of ensuring that stray dogs in the borough stand the best chance to be collected and returned to their owners as quickly as possible.

The gold award is very much appreciated and deserved, and we will continue to meet the standards required to ensure the highest level of care can be given when dealing with stray animals.”

There will be an event held for all the winners at the RICS in Parliament Square in London on November 26.

For more information about how the council looks after stray animals visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/animals_stray

To find out about more about the kennels, visit www.collegegarthkennels.co.uk.