Last updated: 5 December 2024
Next review: 5 December 2025
Who we are and what we do
We are the Dog Enforcement Team; our sole purpose is to contain stray dogs and reunite them with their owners, we also deal with animal welfare as well as dangerous dogs within the borough of Waltham Forest.
The Council carries out searches to determine the registered keeping of the owner of the lost and found dog. The Council is required by law to provide information to the police if there is suspicion of criminal activity involving the dog and its welfare.
If you have questions regarding this service or our privacy practices, you can contact us by e-mail or in writing at the address below.
Contact details
Address
Waltham Forest Town Hall
Forest Road
Walthamstow E17 4JF
Please note that face-to-face meetings are by appointment only and can be arranged with the service.
Information we hold about you
Details that access and hold are the keeper's details for the purposes of returning a lost dog to its rightful owner.
These details are obtained through third-party databases that owners have registered to such as Petlog, Petrac, Animal Tracker, Chipworks, Identibase, Microchip Central and Smarttrace.
The information is typically, the registered keeper’s name, address, telephone number and email address that is registered on the dog’s microchip.
Why we need your information and how we use it
We use this information to try and contact the last registered keeper of the dog to try and reunite them with their owners.
The Lawful basis for the processing
The Council has legal obligation to carry out this service to fulfill its obligations in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environmental Act 2005.
Who your information will be shared with (if applicable)
Data may be passed to the police if deemed necessary to a criminal investigation or the animal’s welfare.
How long we will keep your information
Data is held for 6 years, after the 6 years, digital data will be deleted, and physical copies will be destroyed unless these form part of a criminal investigation which may necessitate that the records are held for a longer period.
Our Data Protection Officer
Our Data Protection Officer is Mark Hynes. You can contact him at Data.ProtectionOfficer@Walthamforest.gov.uk
Protecting your information
Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice
Your information choice and rights
Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.
Complaints and contact details
These are included in the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.
Information Commissioner’s Office
If we’re unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).