Community outcry has resulted in a reversal of a dog-walking ban in Northamptonshire, England.
Ripple Effects
A public space protection order (PSPO) was enacted in November. It stated that anyone walking over four dogs in south Northamptonshire and Daventry could be fined £100 (about $123).
Backlash from dog lovers emerged almost immediately, and a petition circulated that garnered over 800 signatures. Much of the resistance to the ban came from people in the dog-walking industry, which claimed the dog-walking limits would mean less money – up to a 33% pay cut – and longer hours for dog walkers.
“We have to either work longer hours to fit in our extra dogs that we now can’t accommodate in our groups of four, or put our prices up,” Lucy Packer, a professional dog walker in Long Buckby who launched the petition, told the BBC. “We would probably lose our customers that way.”
Catherine Cooney of Furry Friends Animal Care in Northampton echoed those sentiments. “I have to do several walks unless I can hire a dog-walking paddock,” she told the BBC. “The longer the ban’s in place, then it will affect the finance side of things.”
A Dialogue Between Dog Walkers and Council Members
The West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) said it was listening to concerns and walked back the ban so it can hear more from dog walkers.
“In order to understand these queries, executive director for place, Stuart Timmiss, and I are in the process of arranging a meeting with representatives for professional dog walkers to discuss the options going forward to support these groups,” David Smith, the council’s cabinet member for regulatory services, told the BBC.
The WNC will also refrain from fining people walking more than four dogs as long as they abide by other rules, like picking up dog poop, keeping pups out of sporting facilities and play areas, and leashing dogs near schools, on sports grounds, and in cemeteries.
For now, it appears this one’s gone to the dogs.
