RSPCA

Pic: Tim Oxley and Melissa Herbert from the SBC Stray Dog Team

Swale Borough Council’s stray dog service has been highlighted as one of the best in the country by the RSPCA for the eleventh year in a row.

The service has been awarded the Gold Pawprint Award, which recognises good practice in animal welfare by local authorities in England and Wales. Alongside this award, the council has also been awarded the Gold Pawprint Award for Contingency Planning for the fourth year in a row.

The RSPCA is appealing for information after the body of an emaciated springer spaniel was found by the side of a road in Sittingbourne.

The dead dog was discovered wrapped in a blue horse rug inside a blue and grey plastic kennel on School Lane in Iwade on Friday 27th December.

The male tan and white spaniel was found by a passing dog walker tucked behind a pipe by the side of the road. It is not known how long the body had been there, but it is thought he had probably died within the last week. It is thought he was a young adult - five years old or younger.