Kent Dog Warden Contacts: Every District Listed (2026)

Kent Dog Warden Contacts: Every District Listed (2026)

If your dog is missing right now, also read our step-by-step guide to what to do when your dog goes missing in Kent — it covers the first hour checklist, police contact routes, and microchip database steps alongside the warden calls.

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How Kent's Dog Warden System Works

In England, the duty to collect stray dogs falls on the local district or borough council — not Kent County Council (which does not run a dog warden service) and not the police (unless a dog is dangerous, a banned breed, or theft is suspected).

Kent is divided into 12 district or borough councils, plus Medway, which operates as a separate unitary authority outside the Kent County Council structure. Each runs its own dog warden service — separate staff, separate kennels, separate out-of-hours arrangements. A dog seen in Swale will be seized by Swale Borough Council's warden, not Dover's or Maidstone's.

If your dog has gone missing near a district boundary, always call both neighbouring councils on the same day. Dogs cross administrative lines without knowing.

What dog warden services can help with

• Collecting and kennelling stray dogs found in their district
• Maintaining a register of seized stray dogs (you can ask them to check)
• Reuniting owners with their dogs — subject to payment of kennelling and collection fees
• Investigating dog fouling and issuing fixed penalty notices
• Enforcing Dog Control Orders and Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) covering on-lead requirements

What dog wardens cannot help with

• Dangerous dogs, dog bites, and banned breeds — contact Kent Police on 101 (or 999 if immediate danger)
• Dog theft — contact Kent Police on 101, report as stolen, get a crime reference number
• Dog rehoming — councils do not offer rehoming. Contact RSPCA, local rescues, or the Dogs Trust

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Kent Dog Warden Contacts — Every District

The table below covers all 12 Kent districts and Medway. Numbers marked ✅ were confirmed directly from the official council website in March 2026. Numbers marked ⚠️ are sourced from the Animal Wardens third-party directory and have not been independently confirmed from the council website — use the official link to verify before calling.

✅ = number verified directly from the official council website in March 2026. ⚠️ = number from third-party source (animalwardens.co.uk); use the official council link to confirm current contact before calling. Council services and numbering do change — always verify if time permits.

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What Happens When the Dog Warden Picks Up a Stray

When a dog warden, member of the public, or police officer brings a stray dog to the council, the following process typically applies, though the exact steps vary by district:

1. Dog is scanned for a microchip. This is usually the first step if the dog is wearing no collar or the owner is not immediately identifiable. If a chip is found, the database is checked to find the registered owner's contact details.
2. Dog is taken to kennels. Councils typically arrange with approved local kennels to hold stray dogs. Folkestone & Hythe use kennels reachable via the Civic Centre (Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone). Tonbridge & Malling direct owners to Viking Oak (01732 883468) or Battersea at Brands Hatch (01474 879940).^[3]
3. Dog is held for a minimum period. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, councils must hold stray dogs for at least seven days before they can be rehomed or transferred. This gives owners time to make contact.
4. Owner must pay release fees before collecting. Folkestone & Hythe's published 2025–26 fee schedule lists a £25 collection fee, £32 per day kennelling fee, and £71 out-of-hours fee where applicable. Dover similarly charges for collection and kennelling.^[1]
5. Owner must provide proof of ownership on collection: typically a vaccination certificate, pedigree certificate, pet insurance certificate, or written vet confirmation.

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District-by-District: Key Notes

Folkestone & Hythe

Covers Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate, Lyminge, Hawkinge, Dymchurch, New Romney, and the Romney Marsh edge. The service runs Monday to Friday 10am–4pm, with the out-of-hours number (03000 030 247) for urgent cases outside those hours. Dogs in their care are kennelled with a local provider; collection is via the Civic Centre on Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone. Payment must be confirmed before the dog is released.

Dover

Covers Dover town, Deal, Sandwich, and the surrounding villages including Capel-le-Ferne, Guston, and Whitfield. The service operates weekdays 9am–4:30pm. The out-of-hours number (01304 821199) is specifically for when a dog cannot be safely secured overnight. If you find a dog and it is safe and contained, the council page advises contacting them during office hours where possible.

Thanet

Covers Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, and the Thanet peninsula. The stray dog collection service operates Monday to Friday 7am–3pm. Outside those hours, Thanet advises reporting via email or online form. For a dangerous dog or an emergency involving a risk to safety, contact Kent Police on 101 or 999.

Ashford

Covers Ashford town, Tenterden, Headcorn, Charing, and surrounding rural parishes. Ashford Borough Council's main number (01233 331111) serves both in-hours and out-of-hours urgent calls. An online stray dog report form is also available on the Ashford Borough Council environmental concerns page. If a dog has been found and is safely contained overnight, the website advises reporting online or calling the main line the following morning.

Canterbury

Covers Canterbury city, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham (shared with Swale), and a large rural hinterland including Chartham, Bridge, and Elham. The animal warden service for Canterbury is the same organisation (Animal Wardens) that operates many district contracts nationally. Phone the main line or follow up via email.

Medway

Medway is a unitary authority (not part of Kent County Council's district structure) covering Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, and Strood. Medway advises contacting neighbouring councils if your dog disappeared near the Medway–Swale, Medway–Gravesham, or Medway–Tonbridge & Malling borders, as strays are registered locally and may have crossed into a different jurisdiction.

Tonbridge & Malling

Covers Tonbridge, Kings Hill, Snodland, West Malling, Aylesford, and rural parishes south of the North Downs. The dog warden team uses kennels at Viking Oak (01732 883468) or Battersea at Brands Hatch (01474 879940) depending on the dog's location. The council also suggests contacting neighbouring councils if the dog disappeared on a boundary route.

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When to Contact Kent Police Instead

Dog wardens handle stray dogs. Kent Police handle situations involving:

• Dangerous dogs — dogs acting in a way that causes fear of injury to people or other animals, or dogs suspected of an attack
• Banned breeds — Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro (or any dog deemed to be of a banned type)
• Dog theft — if you believe your dog was deliberately taken, call 101 straight away and get a crime reference number. Report it as stolen, not missing. If you saw the incident or have descriptions or CCTV, have those details ready.
• Immediate emergencies involving a dog on a road, livestock being attacked, or a person bitten — call 999

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Also Register with DogLost and Your Microchip Database

Calling the dog warden is the official first step. These two additional steps should run in parallel, not wait until later:

DogLost.co.uk

DogLost is a free volunteer-run service that maintains a database of missing and found dogs across the UK. Several Kent councils reference it directly on their lost dog pages. Register your dog as missing as soon as possible — include a clear recent photo, the exact location and time last seen, and the microchip number. Found dogs are also registered here, so it is worth checking the found section before your dog is officially registered as missing with the warden.

Your microchip database

In England, all dogs over 8 weeks old must by law be microchipped and registered on an approved database. If your dog is found, the first thing a warden, vet, or rescue will do is scan the chip. If the database record is out of date — wrong phone number, old address — the scan produces a dead end.

Mark your dog as lost on your microchip database as soon as you know they are missing. The main databases in the UK are Petlog (run by the Kennel Club), MicrochipCentral, Identibase, and Animal Microchipping. Check your paperwork to confirm which database your dog is registered on and update the record to match your current contact details.

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Sources

• [1] Folkestone & Hythe District Council — lost or missing dogs (verified March 2026, includes fee schedule for 2025–26)
• [2] Dover District Council — dog warden service (dover.gov.uk)
• [3] Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council — report a dog control issue, lost and stolen dogs (tmbc.gov.uk, verified March 2026)
• Thanet District Council — dog warden services (thanet.gov.uk, verified March 2026)
• Ashford Borough Council — dogs and dog warden guidance (ashford.gov.uk, verified March 2026)
• Canterbury City Council — report a lost dog (canterbury.gov.uk, verified March 2026)
• Medway Council — stray dogs (medway.gov.uk, verified March 2026)
• Animal Wardens UK — all dog warden phone numbers directory (third-party reference source; always verify via official council website)