COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER PROPOSALS ON DOG ORDERS

Councillors will meet next week to consider proposals on dog orders for Carmarthenshire following a public consultation exercise.
A survey was carried out between April and May to ask the public for their views on orders for controlling dogs in public places.
A total of 620 responses were received and officers have used the information to draw up proposals to tackle the problem of irresponsible dog ownership.
The vast majority of respondents (98%) agreed that dog owners should clean up after their dogs on all public land; 69% also agreed that dogs should be excluded from children’s play areas.
However, 70% of respondents did not want dogs to be excluded from beaches and a majority disagreed to dogs being on a lead in public places.
Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “I would like to thank all those that responded to our survey as it has helped us to draw up proposals which we think reflects both the needs of the general public in terms of the controls they impose; and of dog owners in being able to exercise their dogs freely.
“We believe the orders proposed offer a fair, balanced and proportionate response to the current problems we face in Carmarthenshire and addresses the views of the consultees.”
The following proposals will go before the Environmental and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee for consideration on Monday, June 8:

• A county wide order requiring people to clean up after their dogs on all public land within the county (Dog Fouling Order)
• A county wide order requiring people to place their dog on a lead by direction of no more than 2m in length when directed to do so by authorised officer, which could include local authority officers, police officers and/or Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) (Dogs on Leads by Direction Order)
• An order excluding dogs from enclosed children’s play areas (Dog Exclusion Order – Children’s Play Areas)