Dog issues and advice

Our neighbourhood team can investigate and proactively prevent dog related issues such as dog fouling, dogs not being kept on leads, barking or noisy dogs and dog on dog attacks.

There is a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Cheltenham which outlines dog owners responsibilities in relation to picking up after their dog, failing to produce a suitable receptacle to pick up after their dog, walking more than four dogs at a time or failing to control a dog (for example, being on a lead when required).

Report a dog attack

The Dangerous Dogs Act applies to all dog owners no matter what size or breed, whether your pet is a Chihuahua, a Cockapoo or a Collie cross. It is a criminal offence for the person in charge of a dog to allow it to be ‘dangerously out of control’ in a public place.

What is classed as a dog attack?

It is an attack if a dog:

rushes at
attacks
bites
harasses or chases any person or animal (other than vermin), whether or not any injury is caused to the person or animal

Dog attack on a person

If a dog has attacked or bitten a person it should be reported to the Police immediately by calling 101 or reporting it on the Police website.

If someone is in immediate danger, call the Police on 999.

Dog on dog attacks

If a dog has attacked another dog or animal, this should be reported to the council using the details below.

Our neighbourhood team will investigate your report, liaise with the Police and take further action where necessary.

To help us investigate an incident we will need the following information:

date and time of incident
place of incident
full description of dog(s) involved, such as breed, colour with identifying marks, sex
description of owner or person in charge of dog(s)
address of owner if known
contact details of any witnesses if you have these

Following submission of your report, you may need to supply a statement or further information.

Report lost or stray dogs

Cheltenham Borough Council no longer have a dedicated stray dog service, this is now provided externally by Worcestershire Regulatory Services.

Please call Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) on 01905 822799 if you would like to report a stray dog or if you have lost your dog.

For out of office hours, please phone the WRS out of hours service on 0300 303 8236 (5pm to 10pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 10pm during weekends or bank holidays).

If you have lost your dog WRS will be able to let you know if your dog is in their kennels and the payment you owe. Once you have made a payment, you will be given a unique reference (receipt) number to present at the kennels when collecting your dog. You will also be told the location of the kennels and the opening hours for collection.

Please be aware that the Worcestershire authorities will charge £25.00 on top of all other charges when the dog is identified as seized on more than one occasion.

Please note - You will not be able to collect your dog unless payment has been made in advance.

Report dog fouling or other dog behaviours

Report animal mess to be cleared

We have a duty to clear animal fouling from public places, such as streets, parks, playgrounds and pedestrian areas.

You can report animal fouling to our cleansing team by emailing cleansing@cheltenham.gov.uk or call 01242 262626.

Report a dog fouling or other dog related offence

You can report an issue where a person responsible for a dog is failing to do the following:

Failing to pick up after their dog fouls
Failing to carry a suitable receptacle to pick up after their dog
Walking more than four dogs at any one time
Failing to keep their dog under control or keeping it on a lead in a designated area

Before you make your report, please make sure you have the following pieces of information to hand:

Details of the location, how often and when you believe the fouling is occurring – for example, every morning before 8am
Details of the dog owner and/or a description of the dog
Details of a vehicle involved (registration plate/make/model/colour)
Any digital photos or videos you have as evidence
The date and time of each incident if witnessed

Please note all details received will be treated in the strictest of confidence and will not be shared. You may receive further contact from a neighbourhood officer to supply a statement or to submit further evidence.

To report a fouling offence, please email the above details to enquiries@cheltenham.gov.uk.

What happens next?

A neighbourhood officer will investigate your report and look to take further action against those found responsible for an offence. Further action may include the individual being issued with a with fixed penalty notice (FPN).

Public space protection order

Dog fouling is a serious issue because it can cause Toxocara Canis - an infection which can lead to blindness. We have adopted a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which makes it an offence not to pick up any poo from a dog in your charge. The PSPO applies to land open to the air and to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access to with or without payment. Dog poo must be removed immediately.

Our neighbourhood officers carry out regular patrols and will issue a fixed penalty notice if they witness someone committing a dog fouling offence. You ran report any breaches of the PSPO to these officers.

Animal cruelty information

You can find general information relating to dogs and the Animal Welfare Act on the Kennel Club website. If you are concerned about animal cruelty or an animal in distress please contact the RSPCA.

General guidance on reporting animal welfare issues can be viewed in 'Who is responsible for what in animal welfare?'.

XL bully dogs

The council has no service to determine if an animal is an XL bully or not and are not empowered to enforce the legislation regarding ownership without an exemption certificate. The matter is to be enforced by the police.

The enquiry email for the police is: DangerousDog.Enquiries@Gloucestershire.police.uk. They will review all information about XL bully type dogs and deal with them on a priority basis according to identified risk.

Anyone unsure if they have an XL bully after reviewing the information on the government website should still apply for an exemption and abide by the relevant requirements on XL bully dogs.

Barking dogs