Dog owners in pitches ban protest
DOG walkers will be out in force on Sunday to protest against Cardiff council plans to ban them from marked sports pitches.
Cardiff council is proposing to ban dogs from marked sports pitches throughout the city along with new £100 spot fines to offending dog owners.
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition against the plans over concerns dogs would be effectively excluded from large areas of Cardiff’s green spaces.
But two rugby clubs in Cardiff have said they are in favour of some measures to stop dog fouling on sports fields due to health and hygiene concerns.
Dog owners and campaigners are organising a walk, ending at Cardiff City Hall, to show their opposition to what’s being proposed.
They will begin at Llandaff Fields tennis courts at 11am on Sunday, before heading through Pontcanna Fields, Bute Park, across North Road and then down King Edward VII Avenue to City Hall for 12.30pm.
Organiser Clare Fanson, dog owner from Whitchurch, said: “Responsible dog owners want to show the council how many of us are upset at plans to ban dogs from parks with sports pitches. Many of us feel we are all being punished for the few who do not clean up after their dogs.
“We also want to stand up for the old, disabled and vulnerable, many of whom can’t make the walk but will miss out on mental and physical health, a chat on a walk might be the
aonly social interaction they have all day. We also want to publicise an issue that we feel has not been made fully available to the public and seem to have tried to pass it under the radar.
“There is no alternative being offered by them, even though we pay our council tax too. All this will do is push those with cars to travel further, which goes against their pledge to reduce carbon emissions.”
People are urged to keep their dogs on leads and bring poo bags.
There will be a “low-level” police presence for safety reasons, organisers say.
Under the public space protection order, proposed by the council, dogs would also need to be kept on leads in cemeteries maintained by the authority.
Anti-social dog owners would face spot fines of £100 – which would be an increase from the £80 fixed penalty notices currently in place. If the fines are not paid, the cost to offenders could rise to £1,000 if taken through the courts.
The PSPO is being proposed because Cardiff council says it has received 500 complaints about dog fouling between April 2016 and April 2017 – although campaigners are contesting that figure.
In the past 12 months the council has issued just four fines for dog fouling, and 142 in five years, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
A council spokeswoman said: “The council is currently consulting on a range of proposals to keep parks and public spaces cleaner and safer by clamping down on dog fouling and we are keen to hear people’s views.
“The introduction of a public space protection order would allow the council to tackle this nuisance so that our public open spaces can be enjoyed safely by everyone.”