ePetition details

We have created this petition in response to Hammersmith and Fulham’s intentions to:

1. Ban even good-natured dogs from entering certain areas.
2. Enable officers to stop and search dog owners to prove they have poo bags.
3. Enable officers untrained in canine behaviour to force dogs to be put on leads based on their behaviour.
4. Enable officers to hand out £100 fines.
5. To amend the number of dogs being allowed to be walked.

We ask the council not to implement these new rules in the way they suggest but rather consider these amended terms:

1. We ask that the council does NOT bring in any orders that restrict well-behaved sociable dogs from enjoying time with their families in public spaces like picnic areas and sports fields.

Dogs are social creatures and an important part of loving families and they must be able to join them. Further, some dogs suffer separation anxiety and need to be with their families.

2. We ask that the council address dog fouling by putting up an increased amount of dog poo bins with free bags on them, sponsored by pet businesses to meet the cost and we ask that dog owners and their dogs are not subjected to intimidating stop and search procedures to see if they have bags left on them.

This is a much more helpful and less discriminatory way of stopping dog fouling.

3. Ensure that any officer given any such power to impose fines and restrictions based on a dog's behaviour be qualified as a level 4 or above in canine behaviourism.

This is to ensure the safety of both the dog and the officer. Their role in the first instance should then be to advise irresponsible dog owners on how to improve safety, animal welfare and community harmony. This officer can additionally be given the power to enforce repeat offenders to pass a schedule of ongoing training and only a fine as a last resort for failure to comply.

4. We ask the council help to tackle the cause of poorly behaved dogs by erecting more dog pens for puppy socialization and adult training to help bring up well-behaved dogs in the borough from the start. We also ask that the council look for these to be sponsored by pet businesses to meet the cost.

This will help with dog socialization which is key to a happy healthy dog.

5. We ask that the number of dogs allowed to be walked per person in larger parks above 100 acres such as big scrubs be 5 per person, but for one group there is a maximum of 8 between two persons; for example, we oppose 3 people walking 15 dogs but we support 1 trained individual walking 5 dogs in parks over 100 acres.

Dogs must be able to exercise off lead every day with their own kind to be well-behaved fulfilled dogs.

Making the number of dogs allowed to be walked 5 or 8 between two will help the average owner get their dog's essential daily needs met affordably and in daylight, by a skilled and thus responsible walker or trainer which would not be possible at a lower number.

This is to ensure responsible, skilled dog walkers and trainers want to continue to walk in the borough and are incentivised to become more skilled and thus ensure our borough has more fulfilled better-behaved dogs and so more harmony in the park. Reducing the number of dogs allowed to be walked will force skilled responsible walkers out of the business and thus only leave cheaper, unsafe & unskilled walkers as the only people who wish to remain walking.

Choosing the number of dogs as five or 8 between two will also allow dogs essential needs met with fewer vehicles taking fewer trips on the road.

6. We ask that the number of dogs allowed to be walked per person in smaller parks under 100 acres remain at 4 per person.

Please understand these requests and consider that a dog absolutely must be able to run off leash with groups of its own kind each day, in open spaces, in daylight and not be left longer than around 4hrs at home waiting for a walk. This considers that experienced walkers and trainers have the expertise to safely manage more dogs than the average person and that the existing dangerous dogs can prevent irresponsible walkers from continuing. Moreover, as social creatures, they will do all they can to seek out and be always with their people. (This means it does not work if Walkers 1 & 2 try to split their existing group by walking in different directions as the dogs ultimately get distressed and try to seek out the other walker and the rest of their group.)

This ePetition ran from 02/12/2022 to 22/01/2023 and has now finished.

318 people signed this ePetition.