Dog Control Orders Consultation

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This consultation is now current - 11th June - 23rd July 2012

Dog Control Orders

• Have your say
• The proposals
• More information
  • Maps
  • Information sessions in parks

Have your say

The formal Dog Control Order consultation started on the 11 June 2012 and will end on 23 July 2012. Information about the proposals can be found below. Tell us what you think about Dog Control Orders here:

• Dog Control Order online survey

If you wish to speak to someone regarding Dog Control Orders please call 020 8489 8420. If we are unable to answer your call please leave your name and number and we will get back to you.

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The proposals

Residents, Friends of Parks, Police and dog walkers have told us they are concerned about the growing number of dogs causing problems in public places. This might involve dog fouling, being out of control or being off lead and causing a nuisance.

For the past two years the council has worked with the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs Home, Wood Green Animal Shelter, Police, Homes for Haringey, Friends of Parks and residents to promote responsible dog ownership.

We know that most dog owners in the borough behave responsibly but what can we do about those who don’t?

One solution which we think will be effective is to introduce a variety of Dog Control Orders in the borough and we want to know what you think.

Following informal consultation the council has developed a number of proposals around Dog Control Orders and we want to explain them to you.

There are different kinds of Dog Control Orders and they can involve placing different restrictions in different places - or having no restrictions at all.

We want to know if you support the proposed restrictions which are detailed below.

• Are we choosing the right kind of restrictions for certain parks and open spaces?
• Are we being fair to all those responsible dog owners who need somewhere to exercise their dogs?
• Will these restrictions improve the experience of going out to the park for most people or are they too restrictive?

These proposals involve designating parks or part of them as areas where dogs can be:

• walked freely without a lead
• excluded
• walked with a lead
• placed on a lead when instructed

We also propose a borough-wide order making it an offence to fail to clean up after your dog.

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Dogs walked freely without a lead

This would involve all large parks (over half a hectare) being areas where dogs may be walked or exercised off lead. This promotes healthy exercise for the animals and takes into consideration the needs of the borough's dog owners.

Dog exclusion (areas where dogs cannot go at all).

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Dog exclusion (areas where dogs cannot go at all)

It is proposed to introduce an Order to ban dogs from all public play grounds, sports courts, games areas and marked pitches in our parks and open spaces, including Homes for Haringey land.

While in many areas this will be considered a popular and sensible move, there may be certain parts of the borough where responsible owners regularly walk their dogs in these areas without any cause for concern. So we need your views on this, please.

Some residents feel that these areas are not places for dogs to be exercised. Many parents avoid these areas because they feel it is not safe for their children to play where there are dogs. Some parents are concerned their children might be exposed to Toxocariasis due to irresponsible owners allowing their dog to foul in these areas.

Residents have also asked specifically for Russell Park to be an exclusion zone following many reports of irresponsible dog ownership threatening the well-being of park users. Let us know what you think.

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Walked with lead (where dogs must be on a lead at all times)

It is proposed to introduce an Order requiring dogs to be kept on a lead on all public roads and footways, all public car parks, small areas of public land, parks and open spaces of less than half a hectare and all Homes for Haringey land. The Police asked the council to consider making this Order as they had concerns that dogs off lead can cause traffic accidents and intimidate people.

During informal consultation many park users also told us dogs on a lead were regularly accosted by loose dogs whose owners had no control over them. This can result in dog fights and injury to dogs and sometimes their owners. Many park users also told us they avoided visiting certain parks due to dogs being off the lead.

The proposed Dogs on Lead Order is designed to ensure that our smaller parks and open spaces are free of roaming dogs and the anti-social activities of irresponsible dog owners.

Homes for Haringey has also asked that we make an order requiring dogs to be on a lead whilst on their land so that residents are not affected by roaming dogs and dog mess.

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Dogs to be placed on lead when instructed to do so (by an Authorised Officer)

This order is for the whole borough. It includes all public land, including that controlled by Homes for Haringey. It allows an authorised officer or a police officer to instruct that a dog be put on a lead, when necessary.

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Dog Fouling

This proposed Order covers the whole borough including all public highways, parks and open spaces and Homes for Haringey land. Dog fouling concerns us all. In recent surveys residents said it was one of their primary concerns. Stepping in dog mess is awful for everyone. The blinding disease, Toxicariasis ,can be contracted through dog fouling and is a concern for parents with small children. This proposed Order is designed to strengthen the penalty against irresponsible dog owners who allow their dog to foul and make no attempt to clean up after their animal.

Dog Control Orders can restrict the number of dogs an individual can walk in a designated area at any time. In line with DEFRA guidelines the council proposes to restrict the number of dogs that can be walked by a single individual in a dog control area to six (professional dog walkers should consult the DEFRA guidelines).

For more information you can visit the DEFRA website in our external links section.

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More information

• In the attached files section below is a list of frequently asked questions and answers (FAQ’s) regarding Dog Control Orders that should help to explain them further
• Please see the cabinet report containing draft proposals for Dog Control Orders seeking authorisation to begin consultation
• The council is currently working on digitising interactive maps to provide more information and make it easier to visualise where and how the proposed dog control orders will work. When the maps are ready they will be posted on the website

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Maps

The Dog Control Orders can be viewed on Haringey's interactive maps - visit the Haringey Online Maps page, and then do the following:

• click on Map Layers in the top left
• click on the + sign next to Under Consultation at the bottom of the list
• select which of the different categories you want to view by putting a tick in the box beside each one. You can select as many of these categories as you wish. When you have chosen the categories, click on the Update button, which appears at the top of the lists (you may need to use the scroll bar)
• the layers you have selected will appear on the map, in the same colour as icon next to the categories you have ticked
• you can zoom in on the map by using the toolbar above the centre of the map image

For more help on using the Online Mapping function, click on the ? button at the top right.

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Information sessions in parks

Officers from the our Engagement Team will be on hand to provide information and answer any questions you may have on Dog Control Orders at these parks throughout the borough.

Day	Time	Date	Park	Address
Friday	9am - 10am	8 June 2012	Parkland Walk	Crouch End, N8
Monday	12noon - 2pm	11 June 2012	Russell Park	Maurice Avenue, N22
Wednesday	3pm - 5pm	13 June 2012	Cold Fall Wood	Creighton Avenue, N10
Friday	9am - 10am	15 June 2012	Stationers Park	Mayfield Road, N8
Monday	12noon - 2pm	18 June 2012	Alexandra Palace	Alexandra Palace Way, N22
Wednesday	3pm - 5pm	20 June 2012	Bruce Castle Park	Lordship Lane, N17
Friday	9am - 10am	22 June 2012	Finsbury Gardens	Junction of Finsbury Road - Nightingale Road, N22
Monday	12noon - 2pm	25 June 2012	Crouch End Playing Fields	Park Road, N8
Wednesday	3pm - 5pm	27 June 2012	Queens Wood	Muswell Hill Road, N10
Friday	9am - 10am	29 June 2012	Markfield Recreation Ground	Crowland Road, N15
Monday	12noon - 2pm	2 July 2002	Belmont Recreation Ground	Belmont Road, N15
Wednesday	3pm - 5pm	4 July 2012	Finsbury Park	Endymion Road, N4
Friday	9am - 10am	6 July 2012	Chestnut Recreation Park	St Ann’s Road, N15
Monday	12noon - 2pm	9 July 2012	Woodside Park	Earlham Grove, High Road, N22
Wednesday	3pm - 5pm	11 July 2012	Priory Park	Middle Lane, N8
Friday	9am - 10am	13 July 2012	Parkland Walk	N4 - N6
Monday	12noon - 2pm	16 July 2012	Lordship Recreation Ground	Lordship Lane, N17
Wednesday	3pm - 5pm	18 July 2012	Downhills Park	Downhills Park Road, N17

Attached Files

Filename	Filetype	Size
Dog Control Orders - FAQ