ON FRIDAY (Apr 1), Greenacres Animal Rescue became primarily responsible for the care of any stray dogs which are found in Pembrokeshire.

Working with Pembrokeshire County Council and Dog Wardens in the area, the rescue centre has now become the chief carer for dogs until they are reunited with their owners.

In circumstances where unfortunately the owner cannot be located or the dog is sadly no longer wanted, Greenacres will be responsible for the rehoming of the animal which will take place seven days after the animal has been found.

However, attempts are always made to return stray dogs to their owners by examining the collar, tag or microchip of the lost dog. Also, for over a year, dog wardens have been successfully using social media to reunite lost dogs with their owners by posting pictures and details about the pets on Facebook and Twitter.

The importance of microchipping has been highlighted by the procedure becoming compulsory for all dogs over eight weeks old on Wednesday (Apr 6). If a dog loses its collar, the microchip offers a foolproof way for any lost animal to be returned to its owner.

Tom Hayes, Principal Environmental Health Officer at Pembrokeshire County Council, told The Herald: “This is a new partnership which just started on April 1, as part of a provision to look after dogs in our county.

“The service will run from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, but there are currently no provisions for outof- hours services.

“Dog wardens will take any stray dogs to Greenacres Animal Rescue, where any misplaced owners will have seven days to claim their dog, before the dog is transferred to the rescue part of the kennels where it will be rehomed.

“In the past, this service has been managed well by Llanstiman Kennels in Trecwn, and I’m sure it will continue to be managed well by Greenacres Animal Rescue in the future.

“However, as part of a routine finance retender which is done every three years, Greenacres Animal Rescue made a bid for the new partnership and won.

“There was no past dissatisfaction with Llanstiman – this decision was purely down to the financial aspects of the situation.

“We had no qualms with either service. At the end of the day, one was simply cheaper than the other, leaving Greenacres to win the contract.”

This year, Pembrokeshire County Council were awarded the Silver medal by RSPCA Cymru’s Community Animal Welfare Footprint Scheme, which recognises the commitment and achievement of local authorities in delivering and improving animal welfare.

Paul Smith, Public Affairs Manager for RSPCA Cymru, said of the award: “It is fantastic that for the sixth year in a row, the Pembrokeshire team have been recognised for the fantastic work that they do in tackling stray dogs but maximising the animal welfare of the dogs they pick up.”

There were a host of positive comments posted on social media about the partnership.

Eluned Kronacher-Edwards said: “Well done, it makes more sense to have the pound closer to where most strays seem to be found, and also you can give proper rescue backup for rehoming.”

Lesley Evans said: “Huge undertaking, but great news for dogs in Pembrokeshire and any owners looking for one they lost – a one stop shop. Brilliant.”

Beverley Hinksman stated: “Lovely news. It will cut down the amount of stress that these poor souls go through.”

Greenacres Animal Rescue told The Herald: “We are so pleased to be now caring for the stray dogs for Pembrokeshire County Council. We are hoping that with the new microchipping law, it will be much easier to reunite lost dogs with their owners.”