What can a member of the public do if they find a stray? 

If you find a dog straying in the Gateshead borough then please contact the Council Dog Control Service by telephoning 0191 4333131 or 0191 4337007 

Within office hours, the Dog Control Service will respond. Office hours are: 

8:30 – 5pm Monday to Thursday 
8:30 – 4:30 Friday. 
Outside of these office hours members of the public can contact the council through the Emergency Telephone Information System (ETIS). The telephone number is 0191 4770844. 

In the first instance ETIS will advise the caller that a voluntary call out service by a Dog Warden may be available. ETIS will contact a Dog Warden and if a Dog Warden can attend the customer will be informed. 

If a Dog Warden is unable to respond, ETIS will advise the caller that they have the following options: 

They can take the dog to Vets Now during their operational hours 
They can keep the dog until a Dog Warden is available to collect it. 
They can decide not to take responsibility for the dog. The Dog Warden would commence patrols to look for the dog on the next working day. 

Please note that from 6 April 2008, the Police no longer have responsibility for stray dogs and will not accept them at Police stations 

The Council has made arrangements with Vets Now to receive dogs found straying in Gateshead borough out of hours. Vets Now is the UK's leading provider of Out Of Hours emergency veterinary care. 

A member of the public who finds a stray dog in the Gateshead borough outside of the dog control service operational hours can also take it directly to Vets Now, Stoneygate Lane, Felling, NE10 0LX. 

Vets Now is only open ‘out of hours’. Vets Now is available: 

6pm – 8am each weekday 
12 noon Saturday – 9am Monday 
Bank holidays (24 hour/day service) 
Before taking a dog to Vets Now, the finder must first telephone them on 0191 469 6926 to confirm the expected time of arrival. 

Vets Now will not receive a dog from a member of the public if they are the owner or keeper as these dogs are not strays. If such a situation arises, the matter should be referred to the Dog Control Service during office hours.