Under the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983, any dog found wandering in a public place on its own is considered a stray. Stray dogs are a major problem in the Armagh City and District Council area posing a hazard to themselves and to others.
If you own a dog, it is your responsibility to make sure it does not stray.
What if my dog strays?
All stray dogs will be impounded at the Council kennels.
Click here for information on kennel fees.
Dogs will not be released from the kennels until the appropriate fees are paid.
Reporting a stray dog
If you find a stray dog, contact the Environmental Health Department on 028 3752 9623/028 3752 9626 and the Dog Warden will contact you to make arrangements for its collection.
You will be asked for the following details when reporting a stray dog:-
- your name, address and telephone number
- a description of the dog including the breed and colour
- details contained on its collar/tag (if applicable)
- the time, date and location where you found the dog.
It is a criminal offence not to report a stray dog.
Advice for dog owners
You can help reduce the number of stray dogs on our streets by following these simple steps:
- consider getting your dog neutered to prevent unwanted litters
- fit your dog with a microchip so it can be traced if it goes missing
- check that you have a valid dog licence
- take responsibility for your dog and make sure you always know where it is.
Control conditions
Under The Dogs (Amendment) Act 2011 an authorised officer may serve a notice imposing one or more control conditions on the dog’s licence if a dog:
- strays
- attacks a person
- attacks another owned animal or livestock
- is not under control on certain roads or lands.
If a dog has strayed, attacked a person or someone else’s pet, worried livestock or been out of control on certain specified roads or on land where there is livestock, an authorised officer may issue a notice requiring the dog:
- be securely fitted with a muzzle sufficient to prevent the dog biting any person when in a public place
- be kept under control when in a public place
- (when not under control) be kept securely confined in a building, yard or other enclosure
- be excluded from any place, or any type of place, specified in the notice
- (if male) be neutered before the end of the period of 30 days from the date on which the notice takes effect
- keeper, with the dog, attend and complete a specified course of training in the control of dogs before the end of the period of 6 months from the date on which the notice takes effect.
A fixed penalty notice can be issued to an owner for failure to comply with a control condition.
Failure to pay the fixed penalty may result in a fine of £2,500.
