Animal Welfare and Dog Control - Service
Standards
Our services are part of the Public Protection and Licensing
Section, which is part of the Community Services Division. These
services are important contributors to our corporate priorities,
which include protecting and improving the Street Scene and the
environment, as well as improving the health of the local
community.
The Public Protection and Licensing Section also includes the Pest
Control service and the Licensing service, which are detailed in
separate leaflets. This information explains how we respond to your
calls/applications/enquiries. It describes what services we can
offer to deal with them and what standards you can expect from
us.
Animal Welfare: What we do
We licence and inspect all premises where compliance with an animal
welfare licence is required. We also investigate complaints
regarding any existing animal welfare premises. We therefore
understand the need to ensure that animals are kept in appropriate
conditions and are well cared for. Naturally, it is of great
concern if you have had a problem with any of the premises above,
and we aim to respond and investigate as quickly as possible.
We also offer advice to any person who may wish to operate an
animal welfare establishment, including site visits during
preparatory works. Licensable premises include:
- Pet shops
- Dog boarding kennels
- Catteries
- Dog breeding premises
- Riding establishments
- Zoos
- Premises where 'dangerous wild animals' are kept
Dog Control: What we do
The Dog Warden
Service was one of the first in the country, being established in
1975, and was awarded 'Best Established Campaign' at the 2002 Good
Dog Campaign Local Authority Awards. The Service comprises of two
officers who control and respond to complaints regarding:
- Dog fouling: we undertake regular patrols to identify persons
who allow their dogs to foul in a public place, and do not clean up
after their pets. Those found are given a fixed penalty fine of
£50. We also provide and maintain over 300 dog waste bins, which
are located throughout the District and also distribute free 'poop
scoop' bags through council offices, veterinary surgeries,
libraries and other public buildings.
- Stray dogs: routine patrols are undertaken to identify and
capture stray dogs. Any found are taken to Leigh Animal Sanctuary,
where ordinarily they are cared for until they can be reunited with
their owners. A fee is charged for the return of the
dog.
- Dangerous Dogs: we investigate complaints where the temperament
of a dog may be in question, and can take appropriate
action.
- Education: we operate a successful schools education programme,
which aims to teach children to be responsible dog owners, with the
help of 'Wesley', the mascot of West Lancashire's Dog Control
Service.
Fees and payment
There are a number of fees associated with the services, licences
and registrations offered by these services. For current
prices visit the Animal Welfare or Dog Control sections.
Our service promise
- When you contact us by telephone, your query will be answered
by one of our Customer Contact Officers, who will arrange for one
of our respective officers to contact you. We will then discuss
your problems in detail and, if necessary, arrange to investigate
the matter.
- We will aim to respond to you within 3 days. Please note that
this response will either be a phone call to you and/or a letter to
you, which will provide details of the officer dealing with your
complaint.
- The Dog Control team undertakes patrols for stray dogs and dog
fouling across the district. These are based on a set regime, which
ensures that all areas of the district can be patrolled in any one
month.
- Where we are able, we will provide advice on best practice and
any necessary legal requirements.
How you can help us
- Please ensure that when you contact us, you have as many
details about your problem as possible (any available and relevant
names, addresses, dates, times, etc). This will help us to give you
the best advice on the problem.
- Wherever possible, we will endeavour to help our customers with
special needs - please advise us how we can help you.
Our general standards
We have a number of general standards, which apply to all services
across West Lancashire District Council. You may find these useful
to note:
- We aim to answer letters and emails within 10 working
days.
- If you request a fuller reply, or the matter requires detailed
investigation, we will send you an acknowledgment within 10 days,
which will set out what action is being taken and when you are
likely to receive a detailed response.
- We aim to answer your phone calls within 10 seconds.
- You can make an appointment to see a manager or speak to staff
in confidence.
- At all times our staff will show courtesy, respect and
sensitivity.
- To view our general standards in full see Corporate
Standards.
Give us your feedback
We want to provide services that delight our customers and which
are second to none. We monitor the standards we set but also value
feedback from our customers and residents on how we can further
improve services. If you have any comments, compliments or
complaints, there is a form on which you can make any suggestions.
These are available by downloading a copy from our website or by
visiting our main offices. Alternatively you can call Customer
Services and one of our advisers will complete a form with you over
the phone.
If you do make a complaint about our services, please note that we
have a formal process for dealing with these. These should
initially be addressed to the service manager whose details are
given below. Our promise to you is that any complaint will be
answered within 10 working days.
Contacting us
Click: Dog Control
or Animal
Welfare
Email: paul.charlson@westlancsdc.gov.uk
Call: 01695 577177 or 01695 585246
Come in: 52 Derby Street, Ormskirk or the CSP at the Concourse,
Skelmersdale
Our offices are open from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday, and
9.00am to 4.45pm on Friday.
Our Customer Contact Centre is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to
Friday for telephone calls.
We can provide this information upon request on audiotape, in large
print, in Braille and in other languages.
Related Information
- Animal Welfare
Licences - Information about animal welfare licences and
inspection of premises.
- Dog
Control - Dealing with stray dogs, dog fouling and
educating dog owners.
- Service
Standards - Our Service Standards for key front line services -
part of our Services First commitment
- Comments & Feedback - Comments, complaints
and feedback.
- Contact Us -
Click, call, or come in - find all our contact details here.