Caerphilly Council Reminds Residents Of Dog Control Consultation

Caerphilly County Borough Council is reminding residents to have their say on proposals to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) relating to dog control. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The need for consultation has been addressed following the council’s 2015 Household surveys, where over 40% of respondents felt that dog fouling was a major issue affecting the appearance of streets in neighbourhoods and town centres. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The council is continually looking at ways to improve and consequently has developed some proposals for additional legal controls relating to dogs, which members of the public are invited to give their views on. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The council are keen to consult with residents on a number of proposals: – ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• Continuing to exclude dogs from all enclosed children’s play areas within the county borough
• Additional requirements for putting dogs on leads at all times in certain areas, for example canal tow paths
• Require dogs to be kept on leads in enclosed memorial gardens situated in the county borough
• Require dog owners to remove dog faeces on any land. The replacements proposals will cover all public places in the county borough which is defined in the act as any place to which the public or any section of the public has access, on payment or otherwise, as of right or by the virtue of express or implied permission
• Require dog walkers to carry an appropriate receptacle for dealing with the waste that dog dog(s) produce. This requirement aims to ensure that dog walkers always have the means (i.e. a receptacle) to pick up their dog’s faeces
• Require dog owners to put their dogs on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer on any public land where the dog is considered to be out of control or causing alarm or distress or to prevent a nuisance
• Excluding all dogs from all council owned sports/playing pitches

Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services said: “The council is keen to introduce tighter dog controls throughout the borough, following the response from residents during the 2015 Household Survey. It is hoped that by identifying which issues matter the most to residents, we can ensure that these are dealt with effectively”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The consultation will run until Friday 24 June 2016. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​