SOUTHAMPTON’S dog authorities had to put down nearly 40 strays in the last year after a further rise in numbers coming through the door.

The city council has revealed the shocking statistic as it urged owners to make sure their dogs were microchipped.

Dog wardens picked up a staggering 448 dogs that had been abandoned or were strays in the last 12 months.

Of those, they made the difficult decision to put down 39 – three more than the previous year.

Although many of the canines were reclaimed, the dog pound was still left with 134 unclaimed dogs.

However, this is still less than the 45 put to sleep in 2011/2012.

These numbers are strikingly high compared to other authorities in Hampshire, which are also being inundated with dogs.

New Forest District Council dealt with 238 stray and abandoned dogs in the last financial year – eight were put down.

This is a rise on the previous year when it picked up 231 and put down four.

Eastleigh Borough Council dealt with 120 stray dogs, a rise on the year before when it picked up 118. Of those that came in last year, the authority had to put down three.

In Fareham, the council saw a jump from 94 stray or abandoned dogs in the 2012/2013 financial year to 165 strays last year, one of which had to be euthanised because it was a banned breed so could not be rehomed.

Hampshire is bucking the trend of the rest of the UK where numbers of stray and abandoned dogs have decreased by one per cent.

According to the 2014 annual Stray Dogs Survey released by Dogs Trust, the south-east region’s local authorities dealt with 9,419 stray and abandoned dogs between April 2013 and March 2014 – a two per cent rise for the same period the year before.

A spokeswoman for Southampton City Council said: “Dogs are only ever put to sleep based on veterinary advice or based on temperament.

“The percentage of dogs reclaimed is also rising which may suggest more accidental escapes rather than an increase in irresponsibility.”

She urged residents to ensure dogs had identification as required by law, which was echoed by the Dogs Trust.

Chief executive Clarissa Baldwin said: “ “Microchipping not only helps speed up the process of reuniting an owner with their dog, it is also significantly reducing the number of strays overall.”