The livelihood of dog owners and small dog-related businesses in Hackney claim they have been disregarded by Hackney Council’s proposed Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order.
The draft PSPO has been introduced to regulate anti-social behaviour in public spaces as a result of improper dog control by residents and dog walkers.
If passed, the protection order will introduce five key regulations, making it an offence for dog walkers to walk more than four dogs at a time and to not pick up their dog’s faeces.
The council will also be able to prevent dogs from entering public spaces and exercising without leads. The order will also provide officers with the power to enforce leads on dogs.
A public consultation and survey will be open until December 15. A decision will then be made regarding the official proposal.
Doug Thackway of Doug’s Dogs, a Hackney-based dog walking, grooming, and training business, believes the protection order could significantly affect his career.
He said: “We will have to put our prices up to cover having four dogs maximum, and that means more people won’t be able to afford dog walkers. More owners struggling to walk their dogs will lead to more dangerous dogs. It’s a badly considered proposal.
“The majority of professional dogwalkers in the borough are aware of their responsibility to the public and don’t want to cause a problem.”
Under the PSPO, several public parks and green spaces would have to comply with the dog restriction rules. This would mean that dogs would require leads in specific parks or, in some cases, be unable to enter.
Abney Park and Hackney Marshes, two popular locations for dog-walkers will become on-lead-only zones, limiting the areas where dogs in Hackney can roam free.
Jana Cz, a dog walker at Hound Crew, a Hackney-based dog walking company emphasised that the combination of the on-lead areas and four dogs per-person rule would significantly affect her livelihood.
She told EastLondonLines: “During the week, its just dog walkers on the marshes and its really nice and peaceful. It would be a massive shame to lose it. All the dog walkers using Hackney marshes are extremely proficient.”
Liv Hema, a music journalist and nanny who has lived in Stoke Newington for nine years, told ELL: “I’ve got a French bulldog called Pepsi and I walk her in Abney Cemetery daily. It is the only place in the area where I can let my dog run around freely and not have to worry about her being hit by a cyclist etc.”
She emphasised the “real community” created by dog owners at Abney Park and stressed the “distress” the on-lead law would cause to dogs needing their daily exercise.
A spokesperson for Hackney Council told ELL: “There are already a number of areas in Hackney where dogs must be on a lead. This includes play areas and some parks. We are proposing to update this list of areas in response to people’s concerns and seek to limit to four the number of dogs that can be walked at a time in Hackney to help ensure everyone feels safe when they’re using our parks and green spaces.”
Failure to comply with the PSPO will lead to a £100 fixed penalty notice. If that notice is not paid within a set timeframe, the person guilty of offence will be taken to court and could receive fines of up to £1000.
There will be exemptions to the PSPO, including those who rely on dogs for personal assistance due to a disability and dogs used by police or other agencies permitted by the council for official purposes.
The PSPO will last until March 2027.
