Animal Welfare

Malvern Hills District Council’s  Animal welfare / Dog warden is a high profile service, providing not only the control of stray dogs, but also many other aspects regarding animal welfare. The responsibilities of this service are wide-ranging and are described in more detail below.

What do we do?
Our responsibilities cover many aspects of animal welfare and the control of dogs. Animal Welfare Officer will get involved with:

• Controlling stray dogs, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
• Dealing with dangerous or aggressive dogs, as defined by the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and Dogs Act 1871.
• Issuing fixed penalty notices for dog fouling, as specified by Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996.
• Erecting 'No Dog Fouling' notices.
• Investigating dog fouling in gardens of domestic properties that is causing a nuisance by smell or flies under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
• Micro chipping dogs to provide a better way of identifying them.
• The issuing of animal related licenses for pet shops, zoos, boarding, breeding and riding establishments, and for dangerous, wild and performing animals.

Dangerous dogs
All dog owners must keep their dog under control at all times.

A dog that shows aggression to a member of the public may be considered dangerous even if the animal has not bitten anyone. If a person has reasonable belief that the dog will bite, court action may be taken against the owner under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. When a dog is 'dangerously out of control in a public place' but it has not injured anyone the penalty is up to six months in prison or a fine, or both. If a dog has injured someone the penalty is increased, to a maximum of two years in prison or an unlimited fine.

We would strongly recommend that dog owners ensure their gardens are secure, so that dogs are unable to roam freely and cause any member of the public to feel threatened.

Dog fouling in domestic gardens
An accumulation of dog foul in a rear yard or garden can cause an unwelcome nuisance to neighbours due to the smell and flies it creates.
If an Animal Welfare Officer witnesses this nuisance a Statutory Nuisance Notice can be served on the Owner or occupier of the property, this will order them to clean up the dog foul within a certain amount of time - usually within seven days although this can be sooner depending on the severity of the problem.

The Statutory Nuisance is on-going which means once it is served no further warnings are necessary before further action is taken by the District Council. Failure to comply with the notice and keep the garden clean could lead to court action resulting in a fine up to £5000.

Micro chipping of dogs
Collars and tags can go missing, leaving a dog with no means of identification, but micro chipping can help. A microchip is 14mm in length (the size of a grain of rice), it is quick, simple and painless to implant into the scruff of the dogs neck. It has a unique number code, which can be read by scanners held nationwide by all major animal charities, vets, police holding kennels and Animal Welfare Officers. This code is stored on a national database that holds all sorts of information including the owners name and contact details, dogs name, age, colour and even favourite food.

Cruelty to animals - who should you call?
If you suspect that an animal of any kind is being subjected to any form of cruelty, please speak with our Animal Welfare Officer. The only other organisation that can legally deal with this is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). To contact the National Cruelty Helpline call: 0870 5555 999.

Contact details
If you would like to know more about these issues, or more broadly about animal welfare please contact the Animal Welfare Officer:

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