Stop Sefton Council banning off lead exercise for dogs

A petition has been launched by dog lovers in Southport to stop Sefton Council from issuing banning order on dogs running around freely in parks.

According to passionate campaigners, the Council are seeking powers that will enable it to stop dogs from being exercised off lead in public places including parks, woodlands, sand dunes and beaches.

A spokesperson for the Anti-Sefton order campaign said: “We do not want them to do this!’
“Dogs have a right to appropriate exercise under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

“The RSPCA and Kennel Club agree that this includes regular off lead exercise and socialisation. The Council is seeking powers to ban this in almost all public spaces and make it a criminal offence. It is a disproportionate blanket approach and does not address the lack of resources to tackle real issues of concern such as dog fouling and irresponsible ownership.

“There are better balanced and more effective ways of working with dog owners and the community. It will have a negative impact on dogs and on people by creating a disincentive to use our countryside and adopt a healthy lifestyle of regular exercise.”
to sign the petition visit https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-sefton-banning-off-lead-exercise-for-dogs?source=facebook-share-button&time=1492766131