Shropshire Council awards stray dogs contract to Hilbrae

Donna Griffiths from Hilbrae with Councillor Richard Marshall and a four-legged friend

Shropshire Council has awarded a contract to Hilbrae Kennels to manage the collection and rehoming of stray dogs in the council area.

Under the agreement – which began last month (April 2023) and runs for a year – Hilbrae will ensure stray dogs are collected, and cared for 24/7 until they can be reunited with their owners. Where this is not possible Hilbrae also offers a rehoming service.

Based at Cold Hatton in Telford, Hilbrae already provided the stray dog service for the council, but without a formal contract. They also provide a stray dog service in the Telford & Wrekin Council area.

Richard Marshall, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and regulatory services, said:

“Having provided our stray dog service for a while we know what a good and important service Hilbrae provide in taking in and caring for stray dogs. I’m delighted to formalise our agreement with them by signing this contract.”

Matty Burrell from Hilbrae, said

“We are happy to be carrying on working with Shropshire Council to provide a 24-hour dog warden service.

“We always try to re-unite lost dogs with their owners without the need to take them back to the kennels, so we ask people to make sure their dog is wearing a collar and tag and that its micro-chip details are correct.”

Having awarded the contract, Shropshire Council will soon launch a campaign to encourage people to be responsible dog owners and not allow their dogs to foul, and to highlight the health hazards of dog mess.

In the longer term the plan is to clamp down on dog fouling by issuing owners with fixed penalty notices.

Richard Marshall added:

“We all know that dog poo is unsightly, unpleasant and a health risk, and it’s the responsibility of dog owners to clean up after their dog.

“We want to reduce incidences of dog fouling by educating people to become more responsible owners. But, if this doesn’t have the desired effect we are looking to issue owners with fixed penalty notices.”

To report a lost, found or stray dog visit the Shropshire Council website at https://improvingyourroads.shropshire.gov.uk/

 To find out more about Hilbrae go to https://www.hilbrae.co.uk/