Houndmistress

Cardiff Council

Policy on scanning of stray dogs - Cardiff will scan all stray dogs that are picked up and will attempt to contact owners. 

Policy on scanning of dead dogs - I'm delighted to say that from June 2010 Cardiff have confirmed that they will scan dead dogs collected by street cleansing crews, which are then taken to the Dogs Home for scanning and disposal.   I'm also very pleased that they now publicise this fact on the Dogs Home area of the website.    I made a query to Cardiff regarding the number of dead dogs picked up over the past three years.  The figures are:- 2007-8, 10 dogs. 2008-09, 9 dogs. 2009-10, ten dogs.  Although these numbers are very small compared to the overall number of strays in Cardiff, if in future similar numbers are scanned, then it is a comfort to know these dog owners would be able to have a clear idea of their dog's fate.   

Microchipping provision - Cardiff stand out among local Councils in providing a microchipping service which is free of charge and easily accessible at their Dogs Home.    Any dog owner can turn up at the Dogs Home between 11-3, Monday to Friday and have their dog chipped free of charge, although small donations are very welcome.   

Out of hours service for stray dogs - The Dogs Home runs a 24/7 service. Call ahead out of hours.  Cardiff, along with Swansea is one of the few authorities to do this and is to be congratulated.   

Chipping of Dogs Leaving Pounds - All male dogs leaving the pound are chipped and neutered.  For female dogs, because the operation is more invasive, adopters are provided with an appointment for low cost neutering and chipping within a week of adoption.  The dog can then recover from the operation in a home environment.   Council officers have told me anecdotally that the take-up for the operation and chipping is pretty much 100%.    

Numbers of stray dogs and how they are dealt with - Click here for detailed figures for 2009/10 - will open in a new window.  These figures are formatted as received from Cardiff Council.    

Additional services - The Dogs Home offers free neutering for any dog that is adopted from them, and low cost neutering for any other dog.  Contact the Dogs Home directly to organise this.    The section of the Council's website which is run by the Dogs Home is good, with clear information laid out in a way that is easy to navigate.  The improvements I'd suggest are to have more information on future chipping events, and to better publicise the charges payable for releasing dogs and payment methods accepted.   Click here to see the website checklist.  

Social Landlords (may include Housing Associations) - Cardiff's Housing Department now has a policy which makes microchipping mandatory for dogs belonging to new Council tenants, and existing tenants are strongly encouraged to take up chipping offers.  Work is also being undertaken with other social housing providers in the city to encourage responsible dog ownership. 

Contact Details for Dog Warden Service

Telephone 029 2071 1243

Email cardiffdogshome@cardiff.gov.uk 

Cardiff Council website - click here

Costs of Releasing Dogs from Council Pound - Awaiting information.  Annoyingly, this is not given on the otherwise very informative website, and neither does it give the acceptable payment mechanisms. 

Kennelling  Services - Provided in house at Cardiff Dogs Home, run and managed by Cardiff County Council.     

Update - Cardiff have begun the process of inviting interested parties to get more involved in the running of and fundraising for the Dogs Home.  An initial meeting was held at County Hall on Thursday 14th July 2011 which I attended.  There was a good turn out from the public, though disappointingly no Councillors were present.  Since then, the Friends of Cardiff Dogs Home have become an incredibly successful group, with a busy programme of events and fundraising.  The Friends are now providing a home check service for the Dogs Home which is an excellent development as well as foster care and volunteer dog walking.  My only reservation is that the Friends are arguably providing some of the funding that should come from the Council itself, particularly for their stated aim of improving the kennel facilities (which everyone agrees is much needed).  Congratulations also for their recent programme of funding environmental enrichment for the dogs ensuring each kennel is provided with things like Kong toys to help keep occupants busy and stimulated.    

If Cardiff could commit to becoming a "no kill" Council, it is otherwise difficult to see how they could improve, apart from the minor quibbles about the website listed above, and the fact that the Dogs Home itself is poorly signposted and difficult to find. To be fair though, the website does provide directions. 

At the moment, they and the Friends  are unquestionably leading Welsh Councils in the provision of stray dog services and are a great example of partnership working in action.     

Updated - 5th March 2012 

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