Hounslow Council To Expand Dog Control Orders

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Want to ensure safety for people in public parks

Hounslow Council is looking to expand dog control orders in response to what they say is clear evidence from Police statistics of an increase in dangerous dogs.

A number of operations have been conducted on certain estates to eradicate dog fouling, illegal fighting breeds and anti-social behaviour with dogs such as criminal damage to trees, a practice adopted to strengthen fighting dogs.

As part of a consultation, the authority wants to roll out the programme after it was implemented in Brentford.

Cllr Ed Mayne cabinet member for community safety and regulation, said, “The dog control orders don’t mean that dog owners have to keep their pets on a lead at all times. We need to consider dog owners having access to areas where they can exercise their dogs without undue restrictions, and dogs can be let off their leads in parks unless their owners have been directed to keep their pet on a lead, or they are in areas where dogs must be kept on a lead.”

“However, we also need to balance the interests of dog owners with the rest of the community, bearing in mind the need for people, particularly with children, to have access to dog free areas and areas where dogs are kept under strict control.

The Dog Control Orders (Prescribed Offences and Penalties etc) Regulations provide for five offences, which may be prescribed in a dog control order: -

(a) failing to remove dog faeces;

(b) not keeping a dog on a lead;

(c) not putting and keeping a dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer;

(d) permitting a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded

(e)taking more than a specified number of dogs onto land.

There is a consultation exercise, which closes on Friday 1 March, and residents borough-wide are encouraged to give their views.

February 18, 2013