Southend put 33 stray dogs to sleep in three years, council figures show

Southend-on-Sea City Council put 33 stray dogs to sleep over the last three financial years, according to its reply to a Freedom of Information request from Animal Control UK.

The council collected 134 strays in 2023/24, 117 in 2024/25 and 137 in 2025/26. Of those, 7, 14 and 12 were put to sleep, while 90, 70 and 85 were claimed by their owners. Its dog warden service is run by Acresway Dog Pound Ltd.

We asked 118 councils for these figures on 16 October. By 29 October, 18 had given stray dog numbers (Chorley and South Ribble share one service), so the table below is a sample of the councils that answered, not a national picture.

What happened to stray dogs

Councils count in different ways: some use calendar years and some financial years. South Ribble said its reclaimed figure includes dogs reported as strays but returned directly to their owners before a warden collected them, which is why its 29 reclaimed matches its 29 impounded; it also sent 14 dogs to rescue organisations that year.

North Warwickshire, whose strays go to Birmingham Dogs Home, said 15 dogs were euthanised in 2024, against 4 in 2023 and 5 in 2025. Coventry said 110 of its 318 strays in 2025 were transferred to rescue organisations.

Brentwood's figures show a rise: 1 dog was put to sleep in 2024/25 and 7 in 2025/26, while the share returned to owners fell to 7 of 94.

Rochdale Borough Council refused this part of the request, saying the figures are already published. Rochford District Council said its outcomes cover four councils together and cannot be split.