There have been many posts in this site’s forum about dog mess, barking dogs and dangerous dogs.

We have put together a guide for those experiencing problems, based on information taken from the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council website and with information taken from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) site.

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has a dog warden service, which is there to deal with issues such as stray dogs, nuisance from barking dogs, preventing dog fouling in the borough and identification (having pets micro-chipped).

Stray dogs

If you find a stray dog you are asked to contact the council to make arrangements for it to be collected. Click here for more information about dealing with strays.

Lost dogs

If you have lost your dog you can call the council on 01707 357000 or use the same contact page (above). The dog warden will then be notified.

Dangerous dogs

The Defra site has a page setting out the rules about dangerous dogs. The following bullet points are taken from that page.

• Any dog is defined as dangerously out of control if it injures a person or if it behaves in a way that makes a person worried that it might injure them. The maximum penalty for allowing your dog to be dangerously out of control is two years imprisonment, or a fine, or both.
• A control order can be obtained if a dog is judged to present a risk – even if it is in its own home or garden.
• If a dog injures another person’s animal and the owner of the animal reasonably believes they could be injured if they intervened, then the dog could be judged as being dangerously out of control and an offence may therefore be committed.
• If someone uses their dog to injure someone they could be charged with malicious wounding. The maximum penalty for this is five years imprisonment.

Banned dogs

The site has a PDF page with information about banned dogs.

• Four types of dog are banned - Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero.
• Whether a dog is banned depends on what it looks like rather than the breed or name by which it is called. This is because the legislation refers to dogs which conform to a certain type and have particular characteristics, not specific breeds.
• Defra’s website has a full description and photographs of prohibited dogs.
• It is against the law to own, breed from, sell, give away or abandon any banned dog.
• The maximum penalty for possessing a banned dog is a fine of £5,000, or six months imprisonment, or both.

Barking dogs

You can report a barking dog by contacting the dog warden who will then investigate. However you will need to give the dog warden the address from where the alleged noise nuisance is coming from.

Dog faeces

Canine excrement can sometimes lead to blindness due to an infection called 'Toxocara canis'.

Public land including roads, footpaths, school playing fields, sports fields and parks, can be designated by the council under the Dog (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 (s3).

This makes it an offence for any person in charge of a dog to allow it to foul land with an order and not remove it. On the spot fines of £50 are in force for anyone allowing their dog to foul in a public place, and not clearing up dog mess can result in a prosecution and fine of up to £1000. It is no defence to claim ignorance of the dog's actions.

In the future, this act will be repealed to make way for the CNEA 2005 (PDF) which will introduce Dog Control Orders (PDF). This will enable authorised officers to make stricter regulations in concern to dog fouling, excluding dogs from certain areas, control of dogs, and the permitted number of dogs. Officers would be able to issue fines for breaches of DCO.

There are now more than 140 dog waste bins across the borough. If there is a problem with the bins, call 01707 357000.

Bags for collecting dog waste are sold at Brookmans Park Post Office, Pegasus Supplies in Dellsome Lane, Welham Green, North Mymms Parish Council, Bungalow 1, Bushwood Close, Welham Green, and Northaw & Cuffley Parish Council, Maynards Place, Cuffley. Bags cost £1.60 for 50.

Please don’t collect your dog waste in the bags and then leave them hanging in trees, as described in a thread running in this site’s forum.

You can discuss dog mess, dangerous dogs and barking dogs in threads running in this site's forum.

30 August 2008 (updated 31 August 2008)