Mucky pup owners get called to heel (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Mucky pup owners get called to heel
10:00am Thursday 16th February 2012 in News
PET owners in South Lakeland could be told to clean up their act after the district council launched a consultation into new dog control orders.
South Lakeland District Council’s Cabinet yesterday agreed plans for a three-month consultation which will ask residents to consider guidelines on dog fouling and a direction to put dogs on leads in public places.
The order would force owners to keep their dogs on a lead on public highways and footpaths, clean up dog mess and introduce dog exclusion zones for council-owned children’s play areas and sports pitches.
Environment and sustainability portfolio holder Coun Clare Feeney-Johnson said: “These guidelines will bring to the fore of our community what people can do and how they should behave in respect of their dogs.”
The orders could be in place within six month.
Coun Feeney-Johnson said 90 per cent of people adhered to dog fouling guidelines but it did impact on the vast majority of the population.
“I am happy that these orders cover all aspects of what we are trying to achieve and I hope that our council members will help out at the consultation events in their wards.”
The dog exclusion orders are expected to relate to recreational areas and children’s play areas.
Coun Roger Bingham said the council would also need to work with recreation trusts and other land owners on enforcement.
“Dog mess has got worse again,” he said. “There have recently been people putting their dog mess into bags but they are still chucking them into hedges and over walls.
“A lot of education has gone on but we need more notices and enforcement penalties.”
He said court cases often fell down because witnesses had to be prepared to make a statement and in some cases give evidence.
Coun Hilary Stephenson said: “I am delighted to see this come forward and it will only do good. The success of this is imperative.
“There is just a small minority fouling but we need to get the message out to them and stop them from doing it.”
Comments(27)
peter.miller83@virgin.net
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11:19am Thu 16 Feb 12
worldsgonemad
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11:37am Thu 16 Feb 12
Lakeuk
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12:45pm Thu 16 Feb 12
newcmr
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1:13pm Thu 16 Feb 12
Pete W.
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7:18pm Thu 16 Feb 12
If you wish to take action against a dog owner who has not cleaned up after their dog, you should report this to our Customer Contact Centre on 0845 050 4434. Please include the following information:
* The name and address of the person in charge of the dog, if possible.
* A description of the dog.
* When and where the offence took place
The evidence will be considered with a view to prosecuting the offender.
... so its as simple as that? I wonder how many prosecutions there were in the last 12 months.
worldsgonemad
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7:31pm Thu 16 Feb 12
davidharry
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8:57am Fri 17 Feb 12
Moonbase
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9:21am Fri 17 Feb 12
Someone needs to take the 'Lead' and 'Collar' the culprits.
I think most of it is done when it's dark and there's not many people about,so it will be hard to catch anyone.
Pringle1982
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3:39pm Sat 18 Feb 12
We always clear up after our dogs, and yet I find myself sighing at the amount of other litter on the streets.
Dog owners are being targeted, but I very often see people walking down the street and they just drop litter wherever they please. Even where there are bins around. I drive along and watch rubbish come straight out of car windows into verges. What is being done about this? Oh, but of course - nothing.
I have to agree with newcmr, wherever you go there is a massive lack of bins. We'll walk our dogs on the fells, carry the mess around with us for a couple of hours, get back and there is NOWHERE to put it, apart from in the car and bring it home with us.
Like with everything, the majority will comply, the minority ruin it for most.
Please don't tar us all with the same brush though.
worldsgonemad
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10:22pm Sat 18 Feb 12
I know several dog owners who walk past my house, they all have their dogs on leads and clean up after them. Unfortunately there are a lot who walk past on their way to the castle, either in pairs chatting or on their phones/ipods with their dogs running loose behind them. They're not watching what they do, they only turn around to see where they are when they get to the roads. From MY experience the ones that don't clean up the mess are usually the ones that don't have them on leads.
magical trevor
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8:54am Sun 19 Feb 12
ring is hardly the same as leaving your dog pooh behind is it....not a very clever comparison to be honest. Dog pooh is a far bigger problem than an empty crisp packet for example (damaging as that may be!!)
Please re-appraise your comparison. Not only is it dangerous, it is morally wrong to leave pooh behind for others to encounter or deal with.
Pringle1982
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6:21pm Sun 19 Feb 12
I will not re-appraise my comparison because YOU think it's wrong. It's just as morally wrong to drop your nasty litter and expect someone to clean up after you as it is to let your dog foul on the path. It's also dangerous to leave litter around, I've seen feet cut to shreds by glass which has been just left, I've seen kids go to pick up food from the floor at the age they know no better.
I agree that dog mess is a huge problem, but so is the litter and if SLDC want to really clean up then they need to tackle both.
But then again I guess the general population need something to keep them on the moral high ground, don't they?
wezzyk
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7:50pm Sun 19 Feb 12
Roysyboy
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9:47pm Sun 19 Feb 12
magical trevor
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12:50pm Mon 20 Feb 12
ng your head in the sand and telling us all about 'responsible dog owners'. This article and the subsequent discussion, is about dog fouling...not littering. Why try to move the discussion away from the actuall point....ie, that dog fouling is disgusting, dangerous and expensive to deal with. The sooner SLDC bring in the control order and dog owners are forced to take responsibility for their dogs...the better. Too many dog owners walk their dogs with the intention of letting them go to the toilet, rather then exercising them. I'm sick and tired of seeing the stuff on the streets, footpaths, playing fields and cycle paths around Kendal.
tictoc1
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2:27pm Mon 20 Feb 12
WilliamT
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2:50pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Disregard those wishing to obscure the issue by introducing other offences such as 'littering'- although it's a pretty safe bet that there is a considerable overlap of 'litterers' and 'faeces spreaders'.
Also disregard those who try to introduce other 'spoilers' by going on about cats, cows, horses or even foxes. The major cause of faecal fouling in urban areas is due to domestic dogs, so we should solve that problem first.
magical trevor
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2:51pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Pringle1982
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3:59pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Can't even be bothered to argue with you. You obviously have a problem with dog owners, and dogs which will never be resolved and this is a good way for you to have your say.
tictoc1
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4:20pm Mon 20 Feb 12
WilliamT wrote:Yes perhaps the major cause IS domestic dogs, but they are not countable for ALL fouling!
Nothing will change until there are prosecutions- in order to do that there will either have to be 'snoopers' employed or ordinary people will have to endure cries of 'interfering busybody'. Both such groups should be congratulated as working in the public interest, rather than criticised for affecting the rights of those who wish to leave dog faeces wherever they choose. Disregard those wishing to obscure the issue by introducing other offences such as 'littering'- although it's a pretty safe bet that there is a considerable overlap of 'litterers' and 'faeces spreaders'. Also disregard those who try to introduce other 'spoilers' by going on about cats, cows, horses or even foxes. The major cause of faecal fouling in urban areas is due to domestic dogs, so we should solve that problem first.
Pringle1982 CLEARLY states that they pick their dogs mess up and that other "litters" can be just as bad. Yet that's "burying your head in the sand"?
It seems that unless you comment on "poo" and only "poo" FROM A DOG, your opinion is worthless in this debate! So, like Pringle1892, I'll continue to walk my dog, in public places, pick up "POO" when the time comes to it and I'll count myself to be in the "90%"!!
magical trevor
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4:31pm Mon 20 Feb 12
WilliamT
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4:41pm Mon 20 Feb 12
magical trevor
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4:48pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Goosed1
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6:23pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Go and have a walk around Kendal Castle you can't enjoy the views cos you are watching where to put your feet!
Also if you go to Glebe in Bowness where the golf course is in a morning the dogs run loose and in packs.
Why have a three month consultation?
Just get out there and enforce.
Ladyxxmacbeth
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9:53am Tue 21 Feb 12
David@GDT
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2:28pm Wed 22 Feb 12
I am more concerned with the proposed Dogs on Leads Order which, if introduced, will require dogs to be kept on leads on all highways, footways, footpaths and adjaacent verges. There are hundreds of miles of footpaths and bridleways in South Lakeland where reponsible dog owners can exercise their dogs off-lead without detriment to others. If this facility is lost, it will be to the detriment of dogs and their owners with very little benefit to anyone else.
Leon64 says...
10:37am Thu 16 Feb 12