Basingstoke’s MP Maria Miller has congratulated Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and especially dog warden Laura Yeates on bagging the prestigious RSPCA Gold Stray Dog PawPrint Award for the seventh year in a row.
The award recognises Laura’s fantastic work, together with the environmental health team and the community safety patrol officers in the treatment and welfare of stray dogs, the out-of-hours service and the initiatives and partnership working to promote responsible ownership.
Maria said, “Congratulations to Laura, environmental health team and the community safety patrol officers on being awarded RSPCA Gold Stray Dog PawPrint. This award rightly recognises all the hard work on animal welfare in our Borough, going above and beyond to ensure higher welfare standards for animals in the services they provide. This award is richly deserved.”
Dog owners are expected to keep their pets under proper control, are legally required to ensure the animals are microchipped and wear a collar and ID, so they can be reunited if they escape.
Any dog that is dealt with as a stray will incur a release fee, kennelling charge and possibly, an out-of-hours’ fee. Dog owners are also reminded that all dogs over eight weeks old must be microchipped and registered or they risk prosecution and a £500 fine.