Leeds Has Imposed Dog Restrictions

[Rachel]

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I'm fuming! Leeds has imposed various dog restrictions as from today. They include various reasonable restrictions - ie. no dogs in playgrounds, more dubious ones - dogs to be put on leads when requested by council official - possibly good in that it will stop dogs being walked without a lead along pavements (one of my personal bugbears), but possibly open to abuse. However, the one that has me most annoyed is a ban on walking any more than 4 dogs at one time, which affects me and my usual 5. The reasoning behind it is that it is considered that no one person can possibly pick up after more than 4 dogs or keep them under adequate control - bloody stupid!

It will affect me, but I think it is targeted at professional dog walkers. The ones I have met have been exactly that - professional, certainly controlling and picking up after their charges. Perhaps there are a few rogue ones out there spoiling it for the rest of us.

There was a period of consultation but as suspected the outcome was a fait accomplis. I suggested that rather than an unfair blanket ban of what I consider the wrong culprits, dog wardens attended the local parks at weekends when the 'weekend dogs' come out to 'play' and crap with impunity, and gave out on the spot fines - I feel this would have actually tackled a good percent of unnacceptable dog behaviour. The present restrictions seem unfair and unreasonable and will probably have no affect whatsoever if the reason for the ban really is dogs out of control and lack of pooper scooping. Perhaps Leeds should just ban dogs altogether and insist we all have cats, or hamsters!!!!! :angry:

The anti-dog bridage - alive and kicking! Incidentally this is the second city I have lived in that have imposed punitive dog restrictions/bans with no right to appeal - where next?

Rachel

 

[Rog]

Some of the points you make are really strange :blink: Like the restriction on 4 Dogs max! My mind tells me that if a person is the type not to pick up after their dog the number of dogs is irrelevant. (I have two hounds and my friends laugh at me because what ever jacket I have on there are always poo bags in one of the pockets)

The issues that should be looked at is irresponsible owners, those who have little control over their pets! My pet hate is when another dog is off lead and comes running upto mine (my male rescue wasnt socialised very well, he is still a work in progress :thumbsup: ) and the other owner shouts "Oh he's all right" well MINE ain't!!!!!! He gets very scared and clicks over to fear aggression.

 

[sherry]

so wot happens if theres 2 of u? can u walk 8 together or just the 4?

 

[Rachel]

Some of the points you make are really strange :blink: Like the restriction on 4 Dogs max! My mind tells me that if a person is the type not to pick up after their dog the number of dogs is irrelevant.
Hi Rog, my logic is that if you have 4 or more dogs you are either a prof. dog walker or highly committed to owning multiples and the kind of dog walker most and not least likely to scoop the poop. The council's simplistic logic seems to overlook the walker and focus on the amount of dogs v the potential volume of dog poo -ie. lots of dog poo about, must be the fault of the people walking the most dogs. I think we've all met the irresponsibles who quite brazenly leave their dog's mess for others to walk in. - Another bugbear! getting other peoples dogpoo on your shoe!!!

(I have two hounds and my friends laugh at me because what ever jacket I have on there are always poo bags in one of the pockets)

I would wager a bet that that's probably true of most members of this board. If you take your dog owning seriously, it's a given accessory!

The issues that should be looked at is irresponsible owners, those who have little control over their pets! My pet hate is when another dog is off lead and comes running upto mine (my male rescue wasnt socialised very well, he is still a work in progress :thumbsup: ) and the other owner shouts "Oh he's all right" well MINE ain't!!!!!! He gets very scared and clicks over to fear aggression.

I quite agree! Leeds answer to this is to restrict the number of dogs being walked at any one time, once again missing the point ie. lots of dogs = lots more out of control - not in my experience!

 

Good luck with your training - it's a shame when this happens as it takes a great deal of time and patience to correct and could have been so easily avoided. Grr sorry about the bold - I can't remember how to do replying to quotes -

 

[Rachel]

so wot happens if theres 2 of u? can u walk 8 together or just the 4?

Hi Sherry, I wonder about this too. To add insult to injury the Leeds Council board is not very explanatory and the downloads don't work - for instance, if you read this from the website:

The Dogs Specified Maximum (Leeds) Order 2011

Maximum number of dogs to be walked at a given time

Offence is committed when a single person walks more than 4 dogs. Applies to any land within the area administered by the Council which is open to the air and to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access either with or without payment (including all access land).

Can I still pop them round the block?

Ha ha, I've just seen that I can be asked to put them on a lead if they are 'worrying or disturbing' any bird or animal - does staring at squirrels with intent count? :- heck they may never go off the lead again!!!

Here's a link to the Leeds Council page for anyone interested

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/page.aspx?pageiden...3b-07cbfbdcaa5b

 

[Trish]

Well we have 9 so one will have to be tucked under my arm :lol: seriously im hoping to be able to walk them all together on the nature reserve where we always go ,its very quiet and only used by a few people and a couple of dog walkers .

 

[TTT]

I can see rules like this becoming the norm in towns and cities in the future. Good idea if it helps BUT I reckon there is a hardcore of dirty irresponsible people who think the law does not apply to them and give the rest of us responsible dog owners a bad name :angry:

 

[Rachel]

I can see rules like this becoming the norm in towns and cities in the future. Good idea if it helps BUT I reckon there is a hardcore of dirty irresponsible people who think the law does not apply to them and give the rest of us responsible dog owners a bad name :angry:

Hear hear TTT! Given that the people it penalises are prof. dog walkers -( me being a multiple dog family being in the minority but falling into the restriction), I wonder if it is just an insidious way of getting professional dog walkers to need to become 'accredited' via the council and thus produce an income???

It definitely will not solve the problems of out of control dogs or dog poo not cleared up -AND there are already laws in place for dealing with these things - why don't bloody Leeds enforce the measures already in place instead of introducing silly new 'public appeasing' laws that target the wrong people?

When I've stopped being cross I'll find a way of lobbying my mp/local council... what a terrible day - yesterday I had a lovely leisurely walk with my crew, today I'm a criminal. Gutted.

 

[Rachel]

Well we have 9 so one will have to be tucked under my arm :lol: seriously im hoping to be able to walk them all together on the nature reserve where we always go ,its very quiet and only used by a few people and a couple of dog walkers .

Hi Trish, I may pick your brains on this location when heat is off! Once upon a time I had relaxing whippie walks - trust some silly council do-gooder to disturb the peace! :angry:

 

[meeka123]

The consultation exercise for dog control orders ran from 21st May until 31st August 2010. 1779 responses were received.

Hard copies of the Orders can be viewed at Environmental Services, Leeds City Council, Knowsthorpe Gate, Cross Green, Leeds LS9 0NP. If you would like further information about the Orders, please see the "Frequently asked questions" document that can be downloaded from this page.

so id like to know

a)what proportion of the responses received by the council were pro this order and what proportion anti?

b)if the majority of the responses were against these orders why the council ignored them?

and id also like to know if anyone protested against these orders coming into fruition and if noone did then dont bother complaining now its too late. its a fait accompli.if you knew these orders were coming in you should have protested against them and organised protests and petitions from people who didnt want these orders before the comsultation period ended its no good complaining now the council will say youve had the chance to have your say

 

[Rachel]

The consultation exercise for dog control orders ran from 21st May until 31st August 2010. 1779 responses were received.
Hard copies of the Orders can be viewed at Environmental Services, Leeds City Council, Knowsthorpe Gate, Cross Green, Leeds LS9 0NP. If you would like further information about the Orders, please see the "Frequently asked questions" document that can be downloaded from this page.

so id like to know

a)what proportion of the responses received by the council were pro this order and what proportion anti?

b)if the majority of the responses were against these orders why the council ignored them?

and id also like to know if anyone protested against these orders coming into fruition and if noone did then dont bother complaining now its too late. its a fait accompli.if you knew these orders were coming in you should have protested against them and organised protests and petitions from people who didnt want these orders before the comsultation period ended its no good complaining now the council will say youve had the chance to have your say

An interesting reply:

The consultation period consisted of being able to fill in a questionnaire online, which I spend a great deal of time doing. I only found out about the questionnaire by word of mouth via my local dog walking friends in my local park - if it was publicised then it was done in a very low key way ie. slipped in via the back door. I believe around 2000 people replied - hardly representative of all the parks and open spaces in which dog walkers walk in Leeds.

The questionnaire consisted of tick box questions which you could then qualify with a longer reply. The two questions which seemed to recur were relating to dogs in playgrounds and the amount of dogs one considered too many to be walked. There were also some very leading questions - words to the effect of 1. how effectively can a person clean up after their dogs if they have several, 2. how effectively can a person control several dogs £. how many dogs do you consider too many?

Re. your a) and b)questions, the questionnaire was not as simple as 'do you like dogs - yes or no', it began from a standpoint of we have a problem (problem not disclosed) but implied thru' the questions above.

The questionnaire, as I recall, gave the impression that it was just monitoring local feelings and gathering info. rather than honing a new law. It was genuinely a complete shock to me to put the news on one morning and find out that not only had a law been imposed, but there was no chance of appeal as the law was put thru quickly and quietly - with only strange meeting with our local councillor and dog walkers reported in the local news in a pub! five days before the law came to be. Believe me, if I had known I would have attended - but in a pub???? obviously not an official debriefing then.

I complained at the time, and I think the method of the law being passed was underhand and to boot, targets the wrong people, so I'm complaining now.

I downheartedly agree with TTT that this is an issue that is coming to towns and cities around the UK for which reason I have brought it to attention. Be prepared.

 

[TTT]

Just to add to my previous comments. I feel that a rule stating that 'all dogs must be kept on leads in public parks' probably not a bad one BECAUSE I am totally sick of irresponsible tubes who allow their dogs to run out of control. Often with the pathetic 'but hes only wanting to play' shouted from 100 metres away as their out of control dog causes chaos. Also if they are so far away from their dog when it craps, how can they possibly locate it accurately? It makes me mad!!!! :rant:

 

[meeka123]

then the best thing to do if you and other dog walkers feel strongly about this is to get organised.visit vets,dog training classes,pet shops etc etc and get as many people involved who own dogs to get this stupid law overturned.and id get the local media onside too and tell them how this law has been sneaked past unsuspecting dog owners by the local council people power CAN change things! :thumbsup:

 

[eve]

Apparently, this is under review in Edinburgh and the Lothians as well.

Leeds may be the forerunner but I suspect that it is going Nationwide :wacko:

I have 5 whippies and I pick up after them all and keep the unruly ones on a lead in Public parks.

I am sorry but I blame the 'professional dog walkers' for bringing this down on the rest of us. a lot of those who walk dogs near me do not pick up half of what is left by their charges. The other real offenders are 'fairweather' & 'weekend' dog owners who just do not give a dam.

To be fair to the Councils dogs that are not wormed regularly carry Toxicara canis which is a health risk to children and it is not right that people should have to sidestep dog mess when out for a walk.

IT IS A DISGRACE AND A REAL SHAME THAT AN IRRESPONSIBLE MINORITY SHOULD RESLUT IN THE MAJORITY BEING PENALIZED :angry:

 

[masta]

who will enforce this?? i was talking to the dog wardens yesterday they were issuing tickets to people that had'nt picked and they said most of them chuck the ticket away and its never followed up

 

[wild whippies]

who will enforce this?? i was talking to the dog wardens yesterday they were issuing tickets to people that had'nt picked and they said most of them chuck the ticket away and its never followed up

Bingo. :thumbsup:

Loads of councils have silly little by laws.

Frying fish in Gloucester is an offensive trade,

Blackpool have by-laws on beating carpets,

In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.

In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.

I could go on all day much to everyone's amusement! (w00t)

Fact is do you really think the council is going to waste their (currently very depleted) expenditure on such a petty little issue?

I think it is highly unlikely and would carry on regardless. They say this is being brought in to address dog fouling issues, far as I'm concerned, so long as I'm being a reponsible dog owner, picking up their poo and not letting them cause havoc all over the country then they'd struggle to justify such a stupid by-law.

Furthermore, I would enquire on whether this applies to council owned land only, as this may well be the case.

 

[Trish]

Well we have 9 so one will have to be tucked under my arm :lol: seriously im hoping to be able to walk them all together on the nature reserve where we always go ,its very quiet and only used by a few people and a couple of dog walkers .

Hi Trish, I may pick your brains on this location when heat is off! Once upon a time I had relaxing whippie walks - trust some silly council do-gooder to disturb the peace! :angry:

Its just off kirkstall road leeds 4 area behind netto , been down on my own last week and didnt see a soul like normal :thumbsup: