Dog owners could be ‘stopped and searched by council and face £100 fine’ if they aren’t carrying poo bags
DOG owners could be stopped and searched by a council if they are not carrying poo bags.
Those who do not clean up after their pets while on a walk even face £100 fines.
Hammersmith and Fulham council in West London is running a consultation on the potential legislation until January.
The suggested public space protection order (PSPO) would also limit the number of dogs walked to four per person and enable council officers to order the use of leads in places like cemeteries.
Apart from not picking up their dog’s poo, owners could also be fined if their dog is deemed to be acting too aggressively.
The PSPO would give offenders 14 days to pay the fine which would be reduced to £60 if paid within a week and non-payment could result in prosecution.
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The requirement contained in a proposed Public Space Protection Order would last for three years and cover all outdoor public areas of land within the borough.
Assistance dog users would be exempt and the measures will not cover those who have a “reasonable excuse” or those who have certain disabilities.
Some Londoners welcomed the idea arguing that “London is overpopulated with dogs since Covid” while others deemed the regulation excessive.
Milo Royds, 30, has been a professional dog walker in Hammersmith for eight years.
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He said it was “a bit over the top” that walkers could be fined for not carrying a poo bag, adding: “There are some times when you just forget to bring a bag out.
“The only thing I worry about is that when these orders come in then more come in later in time and we become like Australia where dogs are not allowed in parks.
“When people have the authority to say get your dog on a lead because it’s acting aggressively, what is acting aggressively?
“My dogs run around without a lead and people see them as being dangerous, but they are not. Someone with a smaller dog may not understand that.
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“People will shout at me because our dogs are playing but they get scared and will shout out saying get your dog away from theirs and I think, why have your dog off a lead if you’re scared?
“People have views on different situations and the person giving the order may not understand when a dog is being aggressive or someone may say it’s being aggressive.”