THE number of stray dogs put down in York rose last year as local rescue centres hit capacity.

Animal health bosses have now urged people to consider adopting a stray as a pet, to help relieve the pressure on local services and to give unwanted animals a second chance.

The number of strays that City of York Council had to put down increased last year from four to 17, despite the overall number of strays falling.

The authority says it tries to rehome strays, but says it is not always possible, and it has urged local residents to consider taking in a stray.

Matt Boxall, trading standards manager, said: “We try to rehome as many stray dogs as possible, and we’ve recently been praised by the Dogs Trust for being one of the best councils in the country with regards to the way we handle strays.

“Unfortunately though, all local rescue centres are full to capacity and can’t take any new dogs. So, if you are interested in offering a dog a new home please contact the Animal Health Team on 01904 551530.”

New figures released by the council under the Freedom of Information Act show the council took in 241 strays in 2010/11. Of those, 41 were returned directly to their owners; 126 were returned during the kennelling period; 57 were rehomed and 17 were put down. The statutory kennelling period is when a pet may be claimed back during a seven-day period on payment of the appropriate fee and kennel charges.

The number put down represented seven per cent of the total – up from one per cent the year before.

Denise Gilgallon, campaign manager at Dogs Trust, said City of York Council was “renowned for going an extra mile for dog welfare” and had one of the lowest “put to sleep” figures in the country.

She said the council tried hard to only put dogs down when they had ill health or aggression problems.

She said: “It’s encouraging to see the stray dog numbers decreasing in the area; however York council is fighting a hard battle. The local rescue shelters that would ordinarily take the strays on from council kennels simply cannot house them as most find themselves full to capacity at all times as the number of owners handing their dogs over is rising.”