Escaped dog owner fined for fouling offence

A PONTYATES man learned an expensive lesson for allowing his dog to escape his garden and foul on a grass verge.

Timothy Alan Canby, of Maes Glas, Pontyates, has been ordered to pay £310.85 for failing to pick up after his dog – despite not being with him at the time.

On April 27, a Carmarthenshire County Council enforcement officer was on patrol when he saw a dog roaming in and out of people’s gardens in Maes Glas before fouling on a grassed area next to the road.

Whilst recording the incident, Canby appeared and called the dog back to his home telling the officer that he regularly jumps over the garden wall to escape.

Despite cleaning the mess, Canby was told he would still receive an £100 fixed penalty notice (FPN) as it is an offence not to remove faeces immediately, and that it wouldn’t have been removed if the officer hadn’t explained that the dog had defecated and shown him where the faeces was.

FPN’s must be paid within 14 days, and despite receiving a reminder letter the case was referred to court when Canby failed to pay.

The case was heard at Llanelli Magistrates Court on September 15, when Canby pleaded guilty by post.

He was ordered to pay a fine of £80, costs of £200.85 and a victim surcharge of £30.

He was also reminded to make adequate provisions to prevent his dog escaping from the garden in future and causing inconvenience to other residents.

Cllr Philip Hughes, the council’s executive board member for enforcement, said: “Even if a dog has escaped the family home, it is still the owner’s responsibility. It is unfortunate that this case had to come to court as it could have been settled much earlier had the owner paid the fine within the notice period.”