THE number of stray dogs on Bristol's streets has fallen for the third year running, figures have shown.

In total, 651 strays were recorded in the past year, down from nearly 700 in 2006/7 and 722 in 2005/6.

Officials from a leading charity suggested that dog owners are now becoming more socially responsible and are better educated about looking after their pets, leading to the decrease.

Dogs Trust chief executive Clarissa Baldwin said: "Dogs Trust is working closely with local authorities and runs extensive education, neutering and microchipping campaigns to tackle the issue."

Nationally, figures from the charity reveal that nearly 100,000 stray dogs were picked up, an eight per cent decrease in comparison with 2006.

Ms Baldwin said this figure was still "unacceptable" and that dogs were being treated as "throwaway commodities".

"Dog ownership is a privilege, not a right," she said.

In Bristol, the city council has a dedicated team of three dog wardens who patrol the streets for stray animals.

In the past year, nearly half of all stray dogs recorded in the city were picked up by these wardens.

Stray dogs are taken to the Bristol Cats and Dogs Home in St Philip's, where they are checked over by a vet and placed into kennels for seven days.

If the owner doesn't come forward to claim their pet within this time, the dog is put up to be re-housed.

Of the 651 strays picked up in Bristol in 2007/8, 350 were returned to their owners.

The home's assistant manager Lee Coombs, who has worked at the home for more than a decade, explained why dogs ended up there.

She said: "Sometimes it's just accidental, other times people purposely put them out because they know they'll end up here."

Owners who fail to prevent their dogs wandering on the streets or deliberately put them out can face a fixed penalty notice of £80, reduced to £6 if it is paid within 10 days.

Nearly 60 of these have been issued in the past three years.

While many dogs are returned to their owners, figures show that 46 per cent of dogs were not claimed in 2007/8.

Some 214 of these were re-housed, and an average of one a week was put down.

Ms Combs said dogs were only put to sleep if their was no alternative.

She said: "Generally if the dog has an aggression problem, it wouldn't be fair to re-home the dog, or if there is a serious health issue that can't be dealt with."