Dangerous dogs
If a dog is dangerously out of control you can report it to us, or if an aggressive dog injures someone, report it to the police on 101. You should also contact the police if you think someone is keeping a banned dog (e.g. pit bull terrier).
Stray dogs
Have you found a stray dog? You can report it here:
We work in partnership with Worcestershire Dog Wardens who will collect the stray dog as soon as possible. If the dog warden has a long distance to travel, collection may be the next working day if the dog isn’t reported until late afternoon.
Alternatively, you can report a stray dog to our Contact Centre on 0121 704 8001.
If the dog service is unavailable, you have the following options:
- Keep the dog until a time when the wardens can collect it from you.
- Take the dog to Worcestershire Regulatory Services
- If the dog is injured, take the dog to local vets.
XL Bully Dogs guidance
From 31 December 2023, breeding, selling, exchanging, advertising, rehoming, gifting, abandoning, and allowing an XL Bully dog to stray, will be illegal. During the transition period, which is now open and runs until 31 January 2024, owners who wish to keep their XL Bully dogs, must apply for a Certificate of Exemption. Alternatively, owners who choose to have their dog put to sleep, can apply for compensation to help cover the costs of euthanasia (you must apply for this before 15 March 2024).
Latest Government guidance on the ban of XL Bully Dogs including links to apply for a Certificate of Exemption, applying for compensation, and how to check if your dog is an XL Bully dog.Once the ban is in place, if you do not have a Certificate of Exemption and are found to be in possession of an XL Bully dog, you could face prosecution and a fine.
Further information can be found here:
- Check if a dog is an XL Bully - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- XL Bully Ban in UK Explained | Blue Cross
- American XL Bullies (rspca.org.uk)
Dog fouling
Dog mess is a public nuisance and a threat to health.
Dog barking
Report noise nuisance.
Lost animals
If you've lost your dog we may be able to help:
If you report your lost dog to us, we can try and find a match with our register of Stray Dogs and reunite you with your dog.
If your microchip details were up to date and your dog has been seized, you should receive a Notice of Seizure from the Council. It costs the Council a lot of money to arrange for your dog to be collected, and therefore you will be charged for the seizure of your dog and letting your dog stray.
If your dog was also injured in any way, you will be required to pay any veterinary fees. Kenneling fees should be sought with Birmingham Dogs Home. The charge for allowing your dog to stray is a £83 (which includes the statutory fee of £25) however the cost may be more if this is a subsequent occurrence.
Dog Microchipping
All dogs must be microchipped unless it's:
- A certified working dog
- Less than 8 weeks old
If your dog is found stray without a microchip, you will be served with a Notice requiring you to get your dog microchipped within twenty-one days. It is an offence not to comply with this Notice and you may be fined up to £500 for non-compliance.
You can also call Pet Search on 0121 704 4377. Pet Search are a local organisation that help reunite lost pets with their owners.
Animal cruelty
If you’re worried that an animal is being subjected to any form of cruelty please call the RSPCA cruelty helpline: 0300 1234 999
Dead animals
We can only remove dead animals from council land, such as:
- parks
- public highways
- Solihull Community Housing communal spaces.
If a dead animal is causing a hazard please call us on 0121 704 8000.
The Warwickshire Biological Records Centre (WBRC) contains information on species and ecological sites within Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. You can inform them of a dead badger on private land online (They will not collect the dead animal but record the death for statistical purposes).
Dead pets
If your pet dies, your local vet may be able to remove the animal. It’s also possible to bury a pet in the garden, but you need to check that there are no health hazards involved (eg. polluting the water table).