Dog Fouling
Public Spaces Protection Order 2016
The ERYC is transferring its dog control orders, designated public place orders (no drinking zones) and gating orders, to new public spaces protection orders. There will be an order for each parish and the one for Allerthorpe will only deal with Dog Fouling at this time.
As part of this process we are carrying out a public consultation exercise to gather your views on the new orders and an online survey form so that you can share your views with the ERYC.
Before completing the survey please have a look at the draft order for our Parish and then submit your feedback.
How we are working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Our parish/town council has been invited to enter into a dog control partnership with East Riding of Yorkshire Council. We know that dog fouling is of concern to residents and so we have decided to join the partnership.
The aim of the partnership with East Riding of Yorkshire Council is to build close links between their dog wardens and ourselves, to provide a better service in responding to fouling and to deter it from happening in the first place.
The training will provide (parish/town) councillors with the knowledge and appreciation of how to provide the evidence needed to prove an offence under the dog control orders. As residents of (name of parish/town) councillors will now be keeping an eye out for fouling problems and talking to dog walkers in our parish/town. We will be carrying out joint patrols with the council’s dog wardens over the next few months to learn first-hand how they deal with the problem. (We will particularly be looking at the (insert name of hot spot) areas.)
The great majority of dog walkers do pick up after their dog and get really annoyed with the few who don’t as they don’t want to be “tarred with the same brush.” There is no excuse for not picking up.
If you have any information on those responsible for allowing dogs to foul without picking up you can contact us on (phone number) or (email address).
Blindness in children from dog fouling caused by Toxocara canis
Whilst the problem should not be exaggerated, it is necessary for dog owners and the public to know what they need to do to minimise the risk.
Toxocara canis is a parasite that lives inside dogs’ bodies. It is a round, white worm (looks like spaghetti) and it infects, most frequently, pregnant nursing bitches and young puppies.
Once ingested they can travel around the body, usually causing little problem. Very rarely though, they can settle in the soft tissue of the retina of the eye, where damage or even blindness can be caused, approximately 50 cases a year are recorded.
Preventative measures include:
- Worm your dog properly both as a puppy and as an adult.
- Clean up after your dog has fouled.
- Prevent dogs from licking your hands and face.
- Ensure hands are washed after playing on grassed areas where dogs are allowed and where dogs or puppies have been handled.
If you have any information on owners not cleaning up after their dogs please contact the dog warden. Tel: (01482) 396301
Using litter bins for dog waste
Some residents have asked us if they can put dog faeces in litter bins. We can confirm that all East Riding of Yorkshire Council litter bins may be used for disposing of bagged up dog waste collected whilst walking your dog. If anyone leaves bags of dog waste on trees, bushes, the base of a lamp post etc. they are committing a littering offence that may also be punished by way of a £75 fixed penalty being issued.
If you would like to report an offender, please ring the dog warden. Tel: (01482) 396301 or contact the streetscene team to report a littering offence or to report a full litter bin. Tel: (01482) 393939
Reports can also be made through the council’s website at www.eastriding.gov.uk.
Risk to livestock from dog faeces
Local Farmers have asked the Parish Council if anything can be done to reduce the amount of dog faeces deposited on their land. This is because there is growing evidence of the links between two specific diseases in livestock and the presence on grazing land of faeces from dogs. They are ‘neosporosis’ which can cause abortions in cattle, and ‘sarcocystosis’ which can cause neurological disease and death in sheep.
We are therefore asking members of the public to be extra vigilant when exercising their dogs on grazing pastures and always clean up after their dogs.
Both diseases can also be picked up by dogs from infected animal matter. To minimise the risk of picking up the parasites, dogs, including farm dogs, should not be allowed to eat material from dead animals, or leftover birth materials such as placentas. Often the parasites cause no symptoms in dogs, but sometimes the disease of neosporosis can seriously affect your dog’s health and possibly result its death.
For public and animal health reasons and for the benefit of other people enjoying the outdoors, dog walkers should always clean up after their dogs. Anyone can also contact the East Riding of Yorkshire Council dog wardens to pass on information about irresponsible dog owners. Tel: (01482) 396301