A COUNCIL dog warden has bagged her eighth consecutive RSPCA award.

Laura Yeates has bagged another RSPCA Gold Stray Dog PawPrint Award.

The award recognises Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s treatment and welfare of stray dogs including the out-of-hours service and the initiatives and partnership working which helps to promote responsible ownership.

Laura said: “To win this award for the eighth year in a row is a huge honour and it is a direct result of the many council teams who work hard for our animals’ welfare.

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“My work is sometimes challenging but always rewarding and it is good to know that the strays we deal with are assessed as having the very highest standards of care.”

The service, delivered by Laura and the council’s licensing and environmental health teams as well as the community safety patrol officers, deals with stray dogs and works to re-home those who are unclaimed with the help of animal charities. The licensing team deals with dog welfare and supports the environmental health team with dog related issues such as barking and dog fouling complaints.

The service has also received a bronze award for its contingency planning which considers animals and animal welfare as part of its planning processes in all situations including emergencies.

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Cabinet member for resident services Cllr Rebecca Bean added: “Huge congratulations to Laura and the other teams who provide such a high quality service. I’m sure it will be reassuring to residents to know that lost dogs receive such good care.

“We can all help to keep our pets safe with a couple of simple actions. Firstly by ensuring that they are microchipped with up-to-date details. Secondly, when buying a puppy, by checking the breeder’s licence and observing the puppy with its mother as well as the mother’s relationship with the breeder. In doing this we can help to prevent any animals suffering in the future.”

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.