CONTACT
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Mail :
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Animal Health Team Plymouth City Council Plymouth PL1 2AA |
| 01752 304147 | |
| animals@plymouth.gov.uk | |
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Fax :
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01752 226314 |
LINKS
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
- Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Gables Farm Dogs and Cats Home
- DEFRA: latest bluetongue situation
- We are not responsible for the content of linked websites. Visit our disclaimer page for more information.
Dog control orders
Why we need control orders
Owning a dog can bring great happiness but also places a life long responsibility on the owner to ensure that the dog is not hazard, a health risk, or a nuisance to other members of our society. Unfortunately too many owners do not take a responsible attitude towards dog ownership and as a result the council receives a very high number of complaints a year covering a range of issues such as noise nuisance from barking, uncollected dog faeces, and uncontrolled dogs terrorizing young children.
The dangers to health from dog faeces are well documented. Toxocara eggs released from faeces can live in soil for years and can cause unpleasant symptoms in humans. This is a real problem for crawling babies and toddlers and for residents using contaminated areas for recreational sport.
Dog owners have the right to enjoy their pets and to exercise them however residents and in particular children also have a right to be able to enjoy a clean safe environment and be able to access areas free from dogs or free from uncontrolled dogs. Dog fouling is one of the highest frequency complaint type received by the Public Protection service.
New legislation
Since the introduction of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005) (CNEA) from April 2006 the local authority (primary authority) and parish councils (secondary authorities) have had the power to introduce dog control orders. These can be in the following categories:
- Failing to remove dog faeces
- Not keeping a dog on a lead
- Not putting, and keeping, a dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer
- Permitting a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded
- Taking more than a specified number of dogs onto land
The new legislation is designed to simplify the current arrangements for controlling dogs.
A dog control order will specify the land to which the order relates as well as the times during which the order will apply. In practice, this means that an authority can designate any area of land open to the air to which the public has access (including any such land within its boundary) as being land on which specified dog offences will apply.
Fixed penalty notices [264.2KB] Dog control orders [180.8KB] Use of fixed penalty notices [1.49MB]
