Hundreds of stray dogs have been taken off streets in the region in the last 12 months alone, leaving rescuers struggling to find new homes for many of the animals.

Five hundred were rounded up in Dudley alone – but just 162 of the animals were re-united with their owners after being collected by council wardens. The council took over responsibility for the collection of strays from the police in April 2008 and has released the latest figures as part of a campaign to encourage dog owners to take more responsibility for their pets.

In 2008/2009, 154 of the 500 stray animals in Dudley had to be collected outside normal working hours.

Of these, 162 were reunited with their owners while the remaining animals had to be re-homed.

Council staff are now urging pet owners to take more responsibility for their animals in a bid to reduce the number of strays collected.

Cabinet member for environment, councillor David Stanley, is spearheading the responsible pet owners campaign and urging people to ensure their animals are secure to minimise the risk of them getting out unsupervised.

In Cannock, 228 strays were collected between March 2008 and 2009.

But only 43 per cent were reclaimed by their owners with the majority of the rest rehomed.

In the financial year 2008/2009 Lichfield District Council picked up 182 lost dogs, and reunited 125 of these with their owners.