Council's dog warden service to launch fostering

A dog warden service run by local councils says it is in "crisis" as it has dealt with 100 stray dogs since April 2025.

The public protection partnership (PPP) service across West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest deals with stray dogs by reuniting them with owners if they are microchipped and rehoming unclaimed dogs through charities.

It said kennelling costs are going up, and is now planning to launch a dog fostering service to help ease the burden.

A spokesperson from the PPP in West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest said: "The service has faced some pressures, especially around kennelling and rehoming unclaimed dogs, but these are being actively managed and are not unique to our area."

Of the 100 stray dogs, 35 required kennelling and the dog warden services said this has been one of the busier summers, exacerbated due to not having in place a dedicated animal warden.

It said: "We recognise that rehoming takes time, and success can be dependent on the age and breed of the dog as well as the rescue centres capacity to take in dogs at that time."

The council is required by law to move dogs on after seven days which the dog warden service said had been "the biggest pressure insofar as maintaining the ability to collect and hold stray dogs".

This year the average time to rehome a stray dog has been about 14.5 days.

Councils can humanely destroy a dog that hasn't been claimed after seven days but this year only one has been arranged.

Historically, the service would only seek this option if no rehoming was possible, but this was at a time when kennelling wasn't so scarce and rehoming a little easier.

Each space costs about £1,000 per month and kennelling costs this year are predicted to be between £36,000 to £48,000.

The dog warden service said the launch of a fostering service "isn't without its own considerations that need to be managed."

For example, dog movement, incentivisation, officer time, dog temperament checks, repeated straying, damages or risk of injury to either dog or human.

The service added that it can mitigate those risks with the steps it has put in place, such as officer development, home checks and free food vouchers to potential fosterers.

The scheme will create a directory of dog foster homes the dog wardens can call on during peak times.

A spokesperson from the PPP in West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest said: "We have seen increased costs and occasional challenges during peak periods.

"Many dogs are returned to their owners quickly when they are microchipped but the pressure arises when dogs cannot be identified and remain unclaimed.

"We are exploring a range of options to manage these challenges, including a limited trial of working with individuals to provide short-term homing in appropriate circumstances."

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