Northumberland dog walkers limited to six dogs at a time

The new ruling which comes into force on January 31, is designed to improve public safety and dog control, following concerns about large, uncontrollable groups of dogs in public spaces.

Limiting the number of dogs that can be walked at any one time is a move backed by the RSPCA, The Dogs Trust, and other industry groups. Similar measures have been introduced by other local authorities across the country.

The restrictions are termed Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), formerly called Dog Control Orders (DCOs) and operate across designated locations throughout England and Wales.

Dog PSPOs give the police and council powers to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone responsible for a dog that breaches it. Failure to comply with a PSPO can result in Fixed Penalty Notices of £100, or up to £1000 if taken to court.

Cllr Gordon Stewart, cabinet member with responsibility for Public Safety said: “We want everyone to be able to enjoy our open spaces, parks and play areas, whether they have a dog or not.

“Our move is consistent with new ruling brought in by other local authorities. Some are restricting the number of dogs walked to four, but we have taken a more measured approach and have limited the number to six to balance the needs of professional and responsible dog walkers in the county.

“ While it is the responsibility of the dog walker to assess the temperament of each dog that is included in a walking pack, we also know when multiple dogs are off the lead, they act like a pack and this can feel threatening and can be dangerous.

“We also know that dog walkers are bringing big groups of dogs to run on our beaches and with the best will in the world they cannot keep an eye on where they are all fouling to pick up after them. This means we have cases of dogs fouling in the dunes where children play and we are not prepared to put up with this.”