Dogs Act 1906

3 Seizure of stray dogs

(1) Where a police officer has reason to believe that any dog found in a highway or place of public resort is a stray dog, he may seize the dog and may detain it until the owner has claimed it and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention.

(2) Where any dog so seized wears a collar having inscribed thereon or attached thereto the address of any person, or the owner of the dog is known, the chief officer of police, or any person authorised by him in that behalf, shall serve on the person whose address is given on the collar, or on the owner, a notice in writing stating that the dog has been so seized, and will be liable to be sold or destroyed if not claimed within seven clear days after the service of the notice.

(3) A notice under this section may be served either—

(a) by delivering it to the person on whom it is to be served ; or

(b) by leaving it at that person's usual or last known place of abode, or at the address given on the collar ; or

(c) by forwarding it by post in a prepaid letter addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode, or at the address given on the collar.

(4) Where any dog so seized has been detained for seven clear days after the seizure, or, in the case of such a notice as aforesaid having been served with respect to the dog, then for seven clear days after the service of the notice, and the owner has not claimed the dog and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention, the chief officer of police, or any person authorised by him in that behalf, may cause the dog to be sold or destroyed in a manner to cause as little pain as possible.

(5) No dog so seized shall be given or sold for the purposes of vivisection.

(6) The chief officer of police of a police area shall keep, or cause to he kept, one or more registers of all dogs seized under this section in that area which are not transferred to an establishment for the reception of stray dogs. The register shall contain a brief description of the dog, the date of seizure, and particulars as" to the- manner in which the- dog is. disposed of, and every such register shall be open to inspection at all reasonable times by any member of the public on payment of a fee of one shilling.

(7) The police shall not dispose of any dog seized under this section by transferring it to an establishment for the reception of stray dogs unless a register is kept for that establishment containing such particulars as to dogs received in the establishment as are above mentioned, and such register is open to inspection by the public on payment of a fee not exceeding one shilling.

(8) The police officer or other person having charge of any dog detained under this section shall cause the dog to be properly fed and maintained.

(9) All expenses incurred by the police under this section shall be defrayed out of the police fund, and any money received by the police under this section shall be paid to the account of the police fund.

(10) In this section the expressions " police area," " chief officer of police," and " police fund " with respect to the City of London mean respectively the said City, the Commissioner of City Police, and the fund or rate applicable to the maintenance of police in the said City, and with respect to any other place have the meanings respectively assigned to them by the [53 & 54 Vict. c. 45.] Police Act, 1890.