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Dog owners face curbs under control orders
£1,000 fines proposed for breaching animal exclusion zones
DOG-OWNERS who let their pets off the lead in Camden could face £1,000 fines under new powers being sought by the council.
The Town Hall wants to introduce a Dog Control Order covering the whole borough, which would leave Camden’s 22,000 dog-lovers liable for heavy fines if they let dogs run free, walk them in ‘dog exclusion zones’, walk more than four at a time or fail to clear up their excrement.
Maps on show on request at the Town Hall show narrow strips of land in parks such as Cantelowes Gardens, Kilburn Grange Park and Talacre Gardens which will become ‘dog exercise areas’ under the scheme – a provision described as “ridiculous” by one leading dog trainer yesterday.
Beyond those strips, owners will be fined if dogs are off the leash – or if they enter borough-wide exclusion zones including playgrounds, sports pitches, ponds or lakes and “all planting or shrubbery in parks and open spaces”.
And a City of London spokeswoman confirmed last night that it is in discussions about acting as Camden’s agent under the scheme – which would extend it to Hampstead Heath.
The council launched a consultation last week that will last until March 15, when the decision on whether or not to introduce the order will be taken.
The council’s consultation document states: “Anyone who commits an offence under any of the provisions of the Dog Control Order may be liable on conviction in the magistrates mourt to a fine of up to £1,000. The council also intends to issue £80 Fixed Penalty Notices for Dog Control offences and anyone who fails to pay a Fixed Penalty Notice may be prosecuted.”
The measures were given a cautious welcome by Cilla Carron, a dog-owner and community activist in the Clarence Way estate. “We have worked hard to get all of our parks right and put bins out for people to pick up (dog faeces),” she said.
“People can run their dogs off a lead but only where it is allowed. You shouldn’t have dogs off a lead when there are children about, and you can’t have them in play areas. You have to have the facilities there, but if they are provided and people still break the rules, I’d say £1,000 was about right.”
But Dima Yeremenko, a professional dog-trainer based in Camden, warned yesterday that the rules would be ignored by bad dog-owners and could damage the health and well-being of those dogs whose owners were responsible.
He said: “The average sporty dogs need four to five hours exercise a day. How much walking can these dogs get if they’re being dragged around the whole time? They will start suffering, with obesity, perhaps with neck problems – and they will be unable to socialise, as they should do under controlled conditions. These little areas are not going to provide nearly enough space.”
Tony Ghilchik, Chair of the Heath sub-committee of the Heath and Hampstead Society, said: “I think they’ve got it the wrong way around.
“It should be principle-based rather than rule-based; and the principle should be, that dogs should be kept under control. It may be perfectly reasonable that a dog should be on a lead at all times in Tottenham Court Road, but not in a small-access road to the Heath in the morning.”
No one at the Town Hall was available to discuss the new orders yesterday.
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