92 dog owners fined under protection order
MORE than 90 irresponsible dog owners have been fined in the city in the last three years - mainly for not picking up after their pooches.
Dog owners were warned they would face fines of up to £100 for irresponsible behaviour when Coventry City Council introduced a Dog Control Public Protection Order in 2015.
As well as spelling out the law on picking up after your pooch, the order banned people from walking more than six dogs at a time in the city and meant walkers had to keep their dogs on a lead in certain areas.
The order is now up for renewal, and the council is again inviting residents to have their say in a survey.
Craig Hickin, head of environmental services at Coventry City Council, said: “We believe it’s been a success, of course there will be people who say that it hasn’t because there’s dog fouling in their streets but there has always been that.
“One area that we are really pleased about is the effect it has had in parks.
“We have got reduced resources and we can’t be everywhere but if we get specific complaints we can put [council] officers in those areas at those times.
“What we have noticed from experience is that dog owners are challenging other dog owners and saying ‘here’s a bag.’ That’s very positive.
“At one particular point we had a group of dog walkers who wanted to act as unofficial wardens and put armbands on. The vast majority of dog owners are responsible but there are a minority of people who can be quite nasty.
“This was always about making sure public spaces can be shared by everybody.
“We really like dog walkers at the council, because they are the ones using the city’s parks and they carry out a certain amount of policing.”
Since the order was introduced in 2015, a total of 92 people have received a fixed penalty fine.
That works out as an average of 30 people a year fined under the order.
Anyone caught breaching the restrictions face a fixed penalty fine of £100 which must be paid within 20 days. This is reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.
If the fine is not paid, then the council may prosecute which would result in the person receiving a criminal record.
By far the biggest category where people received a fine was for dog fouling, with 75 fixed penalty notices handed out across the city.
There were also 13 people issued fines for not putting their dog on a lead when asked and another four fines issued to owners who had their pooches in areas where dogs are excluded.
Mr Hickin added: “Whilst it pails into insignificance with fixed penalty notices issued for littering, it’s very important to do this.”
Dog walkers can receive a fine for walking in excess of six dogs, failing to keep their pooch on a lead no longer than two metres in certain areas, failing to put and keep their dog on a lead when asked and failing to remove their dog’s waste.
It also bans dogs from children’s play areas, multi-use games areas, sport and recreational facilities and sensitive nature areas.
The council is proposing to keep much of the order the same.
One area could be added to the list of places where dogs have to be kept on leads.
The council is proposing to include the ‘Fairy Village’ exploration area for children in Allesley Park, adjacent to the lodge.
Residents are being invited to take part in a survey ahead of the renewal of the order.
It asks for their opinions on each area of the order.
Submissions must be made by June 30.