Figures released by the National Canine Defence League show the province's 26 councils spend on average £83,849 every year on the dogs' crisis. This figure is nearly double the national average.

Councils in the province picked up 12,800 stray dogs between last April and March this year and half of these were destroyed.

BBC NI's Annita McVeigh: "The £2m bill for controlling dogs."

It is a headache which costs councils an annual total of around £2.2m, but most of them have actually increased their spending.

This year more than 13 councils spent at least £40,000 dealing with strays, whilst three local authorities - Belfast, North Down and Derry city - each spent over £100,000

Stephen Philpott from the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believes the problem is "getting out of control."

Stephen Philpott: "Stray dogs getting out of control"

"It confirms what we have been saying for years, that the stray dog problem in Northern Ireland is getting worse," he said.

"If you are a stray dog tonight on the streets of Northern Ireland you stand a 50/50 chance of being put to sleep, destroyed."

According to the survey, more than 22,000 stray or abandoned dogs were destroyed in Britain last year.

In Northern Ireland, a quarter of the animals found were reunited with their owner within a seven day kennelling period.

One in 20 was reunited directly with their owner without being kennelled.

One in 10 was rehomed by a local authority, whilst one out of every 33 animals picked up by a council dog warden was passed onto a rescue organisation for rehoming.

Reducing strays

Siobhan Lavelle from the National Canine Defence League said dog owners could play a role in helping to reduce the number of strays.

Thousands of dogs are put down each year

"If every dog is microchipped and every dog in neutered then we can all work together to make sure that stray dogs are returned to their owners," she said.

"By having your dog neutered you are going to help to control the dog population in a humane way.

"Every time a dog that isn't neutered escapes, there is a possibility that unwanted puppies are going to result.

"That all adds to the problem and perpetuates the fact that there are simply too many dogs and not enough dog owners."

The survey also shows that the vast majority of councils in the province are delivering awareness programmes for the public.

At least 22% of the local authorities are now providing neutering schemes in the province.