Epping Forest District Council seeking the views of local dog owners

Epping Forest District Council is encouraging local dog owners to have their say on possible dog control orders which would determine where dog owners may and may not walk their dogs in the area.

Kennel Club campaign group, KC Dog, in place to help responsible dog owners protect their rights, is alerting dog owners who use Epping Forest to a dog control order consultation currently taking place until October 2nd which would affect those who walk their dogs there.

The council is proposing to implement three dog control orders and is seeking the views of the public to guide their decision. These three orders are:

• A fouling of land by dogs order, which would make it an offence to not clean up dog waste across the district;
• A dogs on lead by direction order, which makes it an offence not to put and keep a dog on lead when told to do so by an authorised official; and
• A specified number of dogs on land order, which limits the number of dogs a person may take onto public land within the district to four dogs.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “Dog control orders are becoming more common as councils attempt to find ways to reign in irresponsible dog owners, and KC Dog encourages as many people as possible to have their say to ensure that responsible owners aren’t unduly penalised.

“Whilst the Kennel Club supports fouling of land orders, we have concerns about the proposed four-dog limit for dog walkers as this could be unfair to those responsible owners who may wish to walk five or more dogs and are perfectly capable of doing so.”

The full consultation can be found online at http://mailhost.eppingforestdc.gov.u...s-consultation and responses can be made through this site.

KC Dog is an information network, free to join, whose members benefit from news and information on dog control orders across the UK. Visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/kcdog for more information.

The first bullet point is fair enough, I would think everywhere should have a rule on fouling really. The second and third points make little sense considering what they aim to achieve. Firstly who wouldn't put their dog back on lead if asked to by a person in authority and secondly I don't believe I've ever seen someone walking with multiple out of control dogs, most irresponsible dog owners I ever come across have only one or two dogs, never any more than that?

It doesn't mention out of control dogs just a maximum number which could all be perfectly under control.
I'm perfectly responsible as an owner and regularly walk all 6 of my dogs together off lead and under perfect control.
I walk in Epping forest regularly although I think it's owned by the corporation of London and not epping district council.

if i felt the request to put my dogs on the lead was unreasonable then i would refuse and accept the consequences, i will not bow down to authority just because it asks me to i need solid sound reasons.
I meet a lady most days who walks 8 red setters and they are a pain in the **** and out of control but i still think she has her right to walk as many dogs as she wishes.