Pests and animal welfare

• You do not need a license to walk dogs or to look after dogs in their own homes.
• You do need a licence from the Council you provide care and/or accommodation for other people’s animals at your own premises. Regulations fall under the The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.
   

Lost dogs

• If you have lost your dog please contact our contractor, SDK Environmental Limited, on 03444 828 300, selecting Option 1. SDK will require a good description of your dog, including whether it is chipped, and your name and address. These details will then be matched with any reported strays or collected dogs.
• SDK (Environmental) Ltd has a website that displays details of found dogs that have been collected on behalf of the Council. Use this to see if your dog has been picked up.
• To report lost and found dogs you can also use doglost.co.uk , animalsearchuk.co.uk and nationalpetregister.org 

Found dogs

• St Albans City and District Council has a responsibility for dogs that are causing a nuisance or appear to be a stray. For help or advice please contact SDK Environmental Limited on 03444 828 320.
• Stray dogs found within the jurisdiction of SADC and in the possession of a member of the public will be collected from an address within this District by our contractor SDK Environmental Ltd. Animals that are not kept on a lead or confined will not be collected. Where a dog seems dangerous and cannot be contained, seek advice from the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or from the police on 101.
• When the Council collects a stray dog, it will be taken to the Council designated kennels and kept there. If after the statutory 7-day period the owner has not come forward, then the dog will be re-homed.
• When a dog is claimed by its owner, the owner is required to pay all costs incurred by the Council including kenneling costs. Once payment has been received then arrangements will be made for you to collect the dog or we can return the dog to its owner for a charge as detailed below. You can make a payment by calling SDK Environmental Limited on 03444 828 300 between the hours of 9am - 5pm, seven days a week. Please have your debit or credit card ready to make payment.

Statutory fee: £25

Admin fee for dogs not or incorrectly microchipped: £72

Admin fee for dogs correctly microchipped: £44

Deliver back to owner: £75

Kennel fee per day: £30

If your dog has required veterinary treatment, you will be required to cover those costs.

• The Police retain duties for dealing with dangerous dogs and dogs found to be worrying livestock. This includes dogs that are running in the road or preventing entry or access to any property. 
• If you are concerned about a dangerous or banned breed of dog (American 'Pit Bull' Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brazeiliero or breeds of these dogs).

Contact the police by calling 101

For more information regarding dangerous dogs please visit gov.uk. Additional useful information can be found on the Blue Cross website.

If you are experiencing problems with noise nuisance from barking dogs then please contact the Environmental Compliance Team within the Regulatory Services department on 01727 819 406 or email environmental@stalbans.gov.uk  for further advice.

For dog owners seeking advice about barking dogs please see our dog barking leaflet.

• If you would like to report an issue with a dog bin or would like to request a bin to be placed in a specific area, please contact the Community Services department on 01727 819366 or email greenspaces@stalbans.gov.uk 
• If you would like to report dog fouling in your area you can contact the Council on 01727 819598 or email wastemanagementservices@stalbans.gov.uk who will arrange for street cleaning.

Public Spaces Protection Orders

• Some public areas in England and Wales are covered by Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) - previously called Dog Control Orders (DCOs).

  In public areas with PSPOs, you may have to:

• keep your dog on a lead

• put your dog on a lead if told to by a police officer, police community support officer or someone from the council
• stop your dog going to certain places - like farmland or parts of a park
• limit the number of dogs you have with you (this applies to professional dog walkers too)
• clear up after your dog
• carry a poop scoop and disposable bags

• If anyone fails to meet the requirements of the PSPO or to comply with a request from authorised council officer, they could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100 or a fine of up to £1,000 on prosecution.

  St Albans City & District Council currently does not have any PSPOs applying to dogs in place.

  General advice and guidance can be found on the Blue Cross link.  https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/laws-all-dog-owners-need-know

• For lost or found cats please contact the Council on 01727 819285 
• For further information / advice please contact Cats Protection on 0300 012 1212 or visit their website

You do not need a license to keep chickens as pets provided your total flock (all bird species combined) is of no more than 50. Information & advice is available from Defra and the RSPCA. If a neighbours chickens are causing a noise / odour nuisance, or you have noticed increased rodent activity in your area, you can contact the Regulatory Services department on 01727 819406 or email environmental@stalbans.gov.uk for further advice.

For matters concerning horse welfare you can contact World Horse Welfare on 0300 333 6000 (08:00 – 17.30) or visit World Horse Welfare. For horses, or other animals, blocking the highway, please contact the police on 101 or St Albans Police Station on 0845 33 00 222.

A wide range of information is available on  The Fox Website. If you discover a fox in distress, call the RSPCA on their 24-hour national helpline: 0300 1234 999. If possible, also use the guidance and checklist on their website which will help you provide the maximum information to inform their response. 

• Living with Foxes ( pdf - 419.06 KB )

For information/advice please contact the RSPCA or Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital who also have a 24 hour helpline 01844 292292.

We have specific legal powers to take steps to deal with rat and mice infestations. We will take action to eradicate rats and mice on our own land and can serve a notice on an owner or occupier ordering work to resolve the issue.

You should ensure that your land is free from rats or mice by ensuring that your garden is not attracting rodents and bait when necessary. If you feel a neighbouring garden or land is attracting rodents you should contact us and we can investigate further. We cannot make someone clear an overgrown garden however we can take action if their garden provides harbourage such as containing household waste that rodents can nest in or food sources.

Rats often live in drains. If you believe you have a problem with your private drain it is your responsibility to deal with it. If it is a shared sewer that may allow rats to access your property you should contact Thames Water.

Treatment for the disinfestation of cockroaches may start with the laying of traps to establish the level of infestation and the type of cockroach, followed by spray, gel, or fumigation depending on infestation levels.

• Treatment for the disinfestation of bed bugs is one visit for a spray application or fumigation to the bed and surrounding areas. More than one treatment may be required, and it is recommended that all bedrooms are treated.

Before contacting a pest control company please ensure that they are not bees as 25% are an endangered species.

• Wasps have distinct yellow/black bands around their abdomen
• Wasps' nests are normally only treated from the end of June. Wasp sightings may be seen earlier however the wasps nests are often too small to treat.

Bats are a protected species. For advice on caring for bats or their habitat, or if bats have become a nuisance, contact either of the following organisations:

• the Bat Conservation Trust
• the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Bat Group