Helena,
this is from the mcc website, it does not seem to mention only if out of control. But like i said it maybe different elsewhere in the country.

Ian, i know the council seems to be run by loons, this is a pic of manchesters main park, i dont know why they cant put the area in the blue line aside for dogs as its rarley used.

I just see it as a bad idea really. responsible owners know for themselves where it is suitable to allow their dogs off lead and don't need telling. I never let mine run free in small parks / picnic areas etc anyway and as soon as we are in close proximity of more than a handfull of people at a time the dogs are onlead...But what if this doesn't stop at just little parks etc? It could affect anyone who allows their dogs off lead anywhere (woods / forest / countryside - anywhere)

Then even if only owners of dogs causing trouble for other people were to be fined for their off lead dogs...who deems them out of control...Cuz I swear all mine have to do sometimes is look at the wrong person and they panic - I could then imagine them running off to tell the local authority, when the dogs didn't even do anything wrong!

Well that park looks quite big to me...It's not as if it is one of those tiny little parks...Looks roomy enough for people to get by with no problem. With the amount of public space dwindling away and all the restrictions imposed on you as soon as set foot on it sooner or later they may as well just give us a picture to put on our walls of what it looks like to be out in an open space but not actually be allowed to do it for real...lol Sad.

Stormey, quote from the MCC site "The new offence requires dog owners to ensure their dogs are kept on leads in designated areas. It is proposed that in Manchester this will apply to all roads, pavements and footpaths, including gated alleyways, small parks, planted flower beds and horticultural centres " unquote

It seems pretty clear then as I perceived it? That's no SMALL park is it, the one on the map? I think it's all down to the fact they want to keep the public as safe as possible, and what with all the scaremongering going on lately about dog attacks, they think they will minimize the risk by putting dogs under tighter control in places where a lot of public go who don't have dogs, i.e. exactly the places they have categorised in the quote above? That's my opinion anyway? If they can keep us lot and our scarey dogs out in the bigger wide open spaces, they're less likely to cause trouble? Maybe there's been a lot of court cases lately with dog attacks (you never know?) and of course that costs the council more money doesn't it? Who knows how their mysterious minds work!!

Lol at you Mys with those pictures on our walls, but sadly, in many years to come that will probably be the case - distant memories of green fields with strange four legged creatures running around loose!

I wonder how that will work with the 2 lists of places that dogs should be on lead and where dogs are banned from?

Most of that is common sense though (roads, pavements, planted flower beds & horticultural centres). Not sure about the footpaths though... surely it depends where the footpaths are, whether they are cyclepaths or bridleways also

Flippin' legislation... always there to trip you up...

There is no need for this at all, what is needed is a law that covers dogs that are out of control in a public place so if your dog is well trained it would be ok of the lead, if not then it should be on a lead, when I am out walking my dog I don't like dogs of the lead running up to my dog.

eeerrrm, that IS the new law SBT???? If your dog is causing a nuisance to others, be it another dog or a person, then you get a fine of £80, end of. That's what was on the news this morning anyway. Doesn't matter whether it's on or off a lead, if it's causing a nuisance to ANYBODY it will get a fine, well you will!

Helena, the point i was making is it does not mention anywhere that the law only applys if the dog is " out of control", Also the park is not a small one, but you will not be allowed to walk your dog there, along with

So where do they expect people to let there dogs run safely? I agree with sbt on this, the city has been fine with dogs for years, with the cuurent laws but they do need tweeking to stop idiot owners rarther than punishing good owners. I also agree with IsoChick, the new laws seem to be wording in a way to catch a lot of people out.

Well they got it wrong on the BBC news this morning then, they should have read those links where it says what you're saying, coz I keep on saying, I can only go by what I saw and heard on the BBC main news at breakfast time this morning, and the reporter stated exactly what I keep saying about the fine only being imposed on dogs that caused a nuisance. Maybe there's two different new laws here then? Or even more god forbid!!!

You must be in a real dilema if you only have dog walking access in parks, pavements, towns, etc. etc. coz that's where all the problems seem to be lying. I can only reitterate (sp?) how sorry I am for you lot, coz I'm very, very lucky I don't have a problem where I go around here. I will find the time to read all those links posted, sorry if I sound uninformed, but Lottie did put this thread up about what she heard from this morning's news and that's what I saw, so I can only go by that.

I said, the only thing i can see is if the thing on the bbc was for elsewhere in the country as the manchester rules/law has been around for a couple of months and it seems a long time the tv to get hold of it. It is kind of problem for me as most days we can take them to the woods or in the car to somewhere further a field, but its the owners who have great dogs but no car who rely on these parks and green spaces who i feel sorry for.