Controversy over Hackney Council’s dog control orders

Staffies in Hackney. Photograph: Dionisio Plaza

Dog owners throughout Hackney are facing up to tough new rules brought in by the council aimed at controlling dangerous canines.

New exclusion orders mean man’s best friend must now be kept on a lead in parks and gardens under half a hectare in size, including Hoxton Square, Shepherdess Walk, the Levy Memorial Ground in Stoke Newington and Albion Square Gardens in Haggerston. The drive comes as councils across London are carrying out clampdowns on dog fouling.

While many welcome the new orders, some dog owners have queried whether they are enforceable, and there has been confusion over whether dogs are still allowed off leads on the Regent’s Canal towpath after signs went up saying they were not. One dog lover told the Hackney Citizen: “If my dog is going to be on a lead, I’m going to make sure he’s on the longest lead possible.”

Councillor Sophie Linden, Cabinet Member for Crime, Sustainability and Customer Services, said: “We know that most dog owners in Hackney are responsible and control their dogs in public. We also understand the pleasure that owning a dog can bring. But a small minority of dog owners in the borough are behaving irresponsibly by not keeping their dogs under control. The majority of people responding to our consultation support the introduction of these Dog Control Orders.”