If you have lost or found an animal within Bracknell Forest and West Berkshire areas please contact us on the details below :
• During office hours (8:30am - 5pm, Monday to Thursday or 8:30am - 4:30pm Friday) - 01635 519171; and
• Outside of these times (including Bank Holidays) - 01733 740426.
Services for Bracknell Forest and West Berkshire Council are provided by a dedicated in-house Animal Warden team, supported by our external partners.
If you have found a dog outside of the Bracknell Forest or West Berkshire area use the link here to input the post code of the area where you have found the dog and it will let you know the details of who to contact.
What to do if you have found a dog?
Check to see if they are wearing a tag with the owner’s details on. If you are happy to do so, contact the owner and arrange to have the dog returned. Otherwise contact us using the above details and we will arrange collection. Please be aware collection may take up to four hours depending on the time of day, location and volume of work at that time. We will not collect a dog unless it has been secured. If you need advice please contact us.
What to do if you have lost your dog?
By law your dog should always wear a collar and tag with your name and address on when out in public. It is also compulsory for all dogs to be micro-chipped from the age of eight weeks.
If your dog is wearing a tag and is micro-chipped, this will hugely increase your chances of being reunited with them if they go missing.
If your dog has gone missing consider taking the followings steps:
• If your dog is micro-chipped contact your microchip database administrator. Make sure your contact details are always up-to-date.
• If you think your dog has been stolen call the police on 101.
• The Public Protection Partnership may have picked up your dog, but for whatever reason cannot identify the owner by a tag or chip, so call us on the number above so we can check.
• Contact neighbouring councils as dogs may wander for miles and may not necessarily be found in the same council area where they were lost.
• Call local kennels and charities, local vet surgeries and animal hospitals because if your dog has been injured they may have been taken there for treatment.
• Check online lost and found websites and create noticeboards within your local ares.
• Did you know you can register your dog on DogLost a free national database which is run by volunteers who will help you to search for your dog.
• Other dog walkers are usually very sympathetic when a fellow dog walker's dog has gone missing - visit places where you often walk your dog and ask them to keep an eye out.
How to get your dog returned to you?
If we find your dog, please note the following:
• To prevent fraudulent claims and 'dog-napping', you must provide appropriate identification for your dog(s) before they are returned to you.
• Dogs will be kenneled for up to seven days. The cost of this kenneling will be recharged to the owner and will vary depending on the size of your dog, any medical needs and the type of kennel that has to be used.
• In addition to kenneling costs, there will be a charge for the collection (seizure) and any associated transport costs to arrange the dog's return.
The wardens will need payment before the dog is returned to you. Each warden carries a card payment machine to make it easier to pay there and then.
Fees and charges can be found here. An additional fee is payable if the dog has incurred vet fees.
Dog(s) not claimed after seven days are re-homed where possible and are no longer the councils responsibility, but the charges will remain.
Please note that our warden cannot collect stray dogs on private land without the landowner's permission.
