‘Poo and punishment’ – is there really a war on dogs in England and Wales?

From fines to outright bans, many councils are clamping down on canines and their owners. But not all the measures – especially the ones that prevent dogs exercising freely – are welcome. Jacqueline Boyd often used to take one of her dogs with her when she went into Nottingham town centre. A canine consultant and lecturer in animal science at Nottingham Trent University, Boyd has six cocker spaniels at her home in Newark-on-Trent. When she travelled into the city, she would bring one along to meet a friend, go to the Christmas markets, or even act as a therapy dog for her students during exam season. Now, she doesn’t bother: “I just don’t go near Nottingham city with my dogs because of all the orders.”.

The orders she’s referring to are public spaces protection orders (PSPOs), used by local authorities to combat antisocial behaviour. PSPOs can restrict activities that councillors feel have “a detrimental effect” on the area, including alcohol consumption, begging, busking, rough sleeping, metal detecting, swearing – even climbing trees. But across England and Wales, one of the most common subjects of PSPOs is dogs.

Many of these orders target dog poo problems, or ban dogs from specific locations such as children’s play areas. Others require them to be kept on a lead in certain spaces. But some go further. A proposed PSPO in Tower Hamlets, London, could ban off-lead dogs in all public places – including the borough’s largest green space, at 86 hectares (213 acres), Victoria Park. Several councils have brought in rules that restrict the number of dogs a person can walk at once, often to four, which professional dog walkers claim risks making their business unsustainable. Some councils point to a rise in dog attacks – up 21% across England and Wales in a year – as motivation for bringing in restrictions. Breaching a PSPO can result in a £100 fixed-penalty notice, which can increase to £1,000 if unpaid.

Nottingham city councillor Corall Jenkins says they introduced dog control PSPOs in 2016 largely in response to complaints about dog mess. An order on dog fouling applies to all open air public spaces – and she says these types of complaint are now “not as prevalent”. While few dog owners would challenge the rules around dog fouling, there is concern about the other measures – which include a blanket exclusion of dogs from children’s play areas, nature reserves and school land. “The phrase I keep hearing, and I’ve used myself, is that this is a gradual erosion of freedoms or liberties,” says Boyd.

The orders vary so much from place to place, she says, that it’s hard to keep track: “There is no consistency, so you can very easily fall foul of some of these innocently.” When we speak, nearby South Kesteven district council is considering restricting the number of dogs one person can walk at a time, which would affect Boyd when she visits her parents. She feels such proposals lack nuance – walking one large, out-of-control dog could pose a greater risk to the public than five well-behaved pugs.

Boyd also worries that over-restrictive rules could affect dog welfare. “Dogs need physical and mental stimulation,” she says. “If you limit that, you can get problems with frustration-related behaviours.” This could include barking, destructive behaviour, or reactivity towards other dogs or people.

Many attribute the rise in reported dog attacks over the apst few years to inadequate socialisation and training of “pandemic puppies”. Boyd says she has had encounters with dogs whose owners don’t seem to have done basic training such as recall. “I wouldn’t say it’s poor dog behaviour, because often it’s the handler,” she says.

Ed Hayes, head of public affairs at the dog welfare organisation The Kennel Club, points out that owners have a legal requirement to properly exercise their pets. The government’s code of practice for the welfare of dogs states this should include opportunities to “walk, run, explore, play, sniff and investigate”.

Although exercise needs differ by dog, for many this will mean at least some time off-lead – so the dog can run about, chase a ball, or sniff in the bushes, for instance. A dog off-lead simply gets more exercise, says Hayes: “Off-lead, the human companion will walk a mile and the dog will walk five miles because it’s zigzagging back and forth.”.

Josie Appleton, 48, from London, is the director of the Manifesto Club, a civil liberties group that campaigns against PSPOs. She says that rather than tackling antisocial dog owners, who probably won’t follow the rules anyway, such blanket orders make life harder for most dog owners who are responsible. “What’s happening is a kind of regulation of dog owners that is not actually to do with the people who are causing a nuisance,” she says.

Data collected by the Manifesto Club shows the number of PSPOs in place across the UK has consistently increased since the powers were first introduced in 2014. “Every year, there are more controls,” says Appleton. Out of 303 councils, at least 160 had one or more PSPO relating to dogs in 2022.