Pendle News Room

It’s woofs and tail wagging all round! 

That’s because Pendle Council’s dog warden team has scooped a gold pawprint award from the RSPCA for the eighth year running!

Councillor David Whipp, who represents Neighbourhood Services said:

“This means the team is among the best in the UK.

“I’m very proud of that,” he added.

“For the eighth year our dedicated team has gone above and beyond their basic service requirements to care for nearly 200 stray dogs they collect each year,” he said.

The dog wardens also run educational programmes and organise free micro-chipping drop ins with the Dogs Trust to help dog owners stay within the new law.

After picking up this award for the last seven years, the dog wardens did not ‘paws’ their efforts and have continued not only to meet the award’s strict criteria but to do more.

David Alexander who leads the team explained:

“We’re now launching a new Pendle wide initiative called PetSafe, working with local police, ambulance,  fire services and social services.

Dog Warden Laura Robinson explained:

“We were keen to set up a scheme in Pendle after problems arose when people who lived alone were rushed into hospital leaving no-one to care for their animals.

“This kind of emergency is distressing enough without the added worry of who will look after your pets whilst you’re not at home.

“It can be a real problem for some of our older residents,” she said.

Explaining how the scheme works, Laura said:

“All people have to do is go to our website www.pendle.gov.uk/petsafe and print off details on the Pet Safe form and leave it somewhere prominent such as on the fridge door.

“That way, there'll be an emergency contact readily available and the care of your pets will be passed to the right person.

“The vital thing is to make sure the person you've listed as your emergency contact knows they are on the form and it’s important to keep the contact details on the form up to date!”

For advice on tackling dog problems including stray dogs and for tips on responsible dog ownership visit www.pendle.gov.uk/dogs