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Ards and North Down dog warden: getting your dog back

If Ards and North Down council's dog warden service picks up your dog, you pay its fees before you can take them home. Here's what it charges, from its own website (October 2026), and what to do if your dog goes missing in Ards and North Down.

What Ards and North Down charges

£35*after one night in kennels

£35 impound fee for the first day (or part day), then £12 a day; £25 if officers bring your dog home

Collecting the next day may count as a second day (£47). No home-return fee if you collect from the council office in Newtownards.

For a microchipped dog with correct details, collected in working hours and picked up the next day in office hours. Vet treatment is extra. * The council's page leaves some room for doubt: see the note.

Ards and North Down council's stray dog page · no year given

How it compares

  • The dearest of the 4 councils in Northern Ireland whose fees give a one-night total.
  • The middle cost in Northern Ireland: £25.
  • Across the UK: £100, from 186 councils. 13 charge £200 or more.

Every UK council's fees

If your dog is missing in Ards and North Down

  1. Call Ards and North Down council's dog warden or stray dog service now (its number is on its stray dog page), and the neighbouring councils too: dogs travel. Give a description, a photo and the microchip number.
  2. Ask whether a dog like yours has been picked up. The council keeps a stray for five days.
  3. Tell your microchip database your dog is missing. Not sure which one? Our microchip number checker shows you.
  4. Ring vets and rescues nearby, post in local groups, and put up posters: the free lost dog poster maker takes a minute.
  5. When you collect, bring proof your dog is yours (microchip paperwork, vet records, photos) and a way to pay.

The full steps are in our lost dog checklist and our guide to getting your dog back from the dog warden.

Questions

How much does Ards and North Down charge to get a dog back from the dog warden?+

About £35 for a microchipped dog kept one night and collected the next day in office hours, worked out from the council's own fee list (October 2026): £35 impound fee for the first day (or part day), then £12 a day; £25 if officers bring your dog home. Collecting the next day may count as a second day (£47). No home-return fee if you collect from the council office in Newtownards. Vet treatment is extra.

How long does Ards and North Down keep a stray dog?+

In Northern Ireland, councils keep a stray dog for five days, after which it may be rehomed, sold or put to sleep, so call as soon as your dog goes missing.

I've found a dog in Ards and North Down. What do I do?+

Check its tag and, if you can, have it scanned for a microchip at a vet. If you can't reach the owner, report it to the council's dog warden service.

Other councils in Northern Ireland