HIGH quality animal welfare work has landed Stroud District Council with four awards from the RSPCA.

It won a gold award for its exemplary way of looking after stray dogs, and silver for its animal welfare charter.

The council also received two bronze awards, one for its policy agreement for tenants in council homes which outlines responsible pet ownership - such as a duty to micro-chip and neuter – and the other for civil contingency planning which covers how animals will be cared for in the event of an emergency.

Launched in 2008, the RSPCA’s Community Animal Welfare Footprint (CAWF) awards give accolades to organisations, such as local authorities that go beyond basic requirements to ensure a higher standard of animal welfare.

Stroud District Council (SDC) has won awards every year since 2010.

Councillor Simon Pickering, chair of the Environment Committee on the council, said: "These awards recognise the continuing commitment of the council's animal welfare team to ensuring the highest standards across the district – and that has got to be good news for the animals themselves."

The Local Government Association, the Trading Standards Institute and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health have once again backed this award scheme.

Lenny Rolles, RSPCA senior parliamentary adviser for local government, said: “This year has proven yet another resounding success for the scheme, which facilitates the sharing of best practice, which can only be of benefit to animal welfare across England and Wales.”

Nationally, figures show that 47,500 dogs were abandoned by their owners in the UK last year. Anyone with concerns about an animal's welfare, dog fouling, nuisance from barking dogs or wanting to report a stray dog, should visit www.stroud.gov.uk/reportit or call the council on 01453 754478.