A report that will be considered by Gwynedd’s Cabinet will recommend new measures to keep dog fouling at bay within the county.

 

 This follows a public consultation on a proposed Public Space Protection Order for Dog Control to replace older powers and help keep the county’s public places clean and tidy. The consultation received over a thousand responses and the vast majority of were in favour of the proposed order, and many stating that they wanted the Council to get tough on those who let their dogs foul in public places

Councillor Catrin Wager, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal matters said: “I’m so grateful to the 1,324 people and organisations that have taken the time to share their views on the proposed new Dog Control Orders. This clearly underlines that dog fouling is something that really concerns Gwynedd residents and it’s important that we listen and take action.

“The vast majority of responses were in favour of continuing with enforcement action when dog-owners fail to clean-up after their pets. People were also keen to see dogs being excluded from certain areas such as school grounds, playing fields, sports facilities as well as seasonal restrictions on some of our beaches.

“Most dog-owners take their responsibility very seriously and make sure to clean-up after them. But we know that this isn’t true of everyone and the comments submitted in the public consultation underlines that this is something the Council must continue to tackle.

“All the comments we received have been considered in detail and we will be looking to introduce more bins, with bag dispensers, as has been suggested as part of the consultation, along with updated signage. We are also hoping to introduce two new dog control wardens who will have enforcement powers, but will also be working on behaviour change campaigns to try and reduce fouling incidents in the county.

“The public were clear that they are eager for us to step-up efforts to tackle dog fouling, and we have listened to what our residents have said. Should the cabinet support the introduction of these measures, I hope they will lead to a reduction of dog fouling on our streets, and will strike the right balance between dog restrictions and allowing dog owners space and freedom to exercise their pets responsibly.

After listening to the views of local people, the report that will be considered by Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet recommends that:

Dogs should be excluded from 18 specified beaches from 1 April to 30 September and will be excluded from childrens playgrounds, school grounds, sporting grounds and facilities throughout the year;

Those found not clearing up their dogs’ mess in any public place will face on-the-spot fines

Dog owners must keep their dogs on a lead if asked to do so by a Gwynedd Council enforcement office

The council employ two dog control wardens who will work on behaviour change campaigns as well as enforcement.

More bins, free bags and new signs are introduced around the county.

 Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet will consider the proposed new Dog Control Powers on Tuesday, 27 July.

A total of 1,324 responses were received to the questionnaire. The responses confirmed that:

  • 80% of the opinion that dog fouling is a problem in their area
  • 78% in favour of a seasonal dog exclusion from the 18 beaches specified in the Proposed Order.
  • 74% in favour of a year-round ban on dogs from open-air public lands where there is a ‘Dog Exclusion Zone’ sign.
  • 95% in favour of a year-round ban on dogs from childrens playgrounds.
  • 89% in favour of a year-round ban on dogs from recreation grounds at schools, colleges etc.
  • 93% in favour of a year-round ban on dogs from sporting grounds.
  • 85% in favour of a year-round ban on dogs from other sporting facilities.
  • 99% in favour of a rule that people must clean up after their dogs have fouled in a public place.
  • 95% in favour of a rule allowing an authorised officer to ask anyone responsible for a dog to place it on a lead.
  • 61% of the opinion that no further rule or rules need to be included beyond what is already in the Proposed Order.