Canine Community Code

What is the problem?
Dog behavior in the UK and Ireland is changing dramatically.
Animal charities report more and more behavior problems with the dogs they take in.
In the years 2014-15, a staggering 6,740 people required hospital admission due to dog related injuries. It is estimated that dogs injure over 200,000 people in the UK every year. This number is steadily rising. There are increasing number of Dog Control Orders being implemented by councils restricting or banning dogs from certain public areas.

How does this affect dog owners?
You may think that it is only dogs that display aggression in public that cause problems. This is not the case! In a recent court case a dog was playing with another dog in a public park. During the game it ran into a person, knocked them to the ground and injured them. The owner of the dog was ordered to pay compensation to the victim because of the injuries they sustained. The Judge, in summing up the case, stated "The owner was not able to demonstrate any control over his dog which basically ran around doing as it pleased". Your dog does not have to act aggressively for you to fall foul of the law. If it is out of control and, as a result, a person or other animal is injured you could end up in court or even go to prison. We already have four banned breeds – we don't want any more added to the list. We must ALL act in our communities in order to improve the image of dogs in the UK.

How do we do this? It is up to ALL of us, as dog owners, to try to stop dogs getting a bad press because of lack of control. We need to demonstrate that our dogs are not a nuisance to the public at large.
We are asking ALL owners who take their dogs into public places to abide by a voluntary code of conduct.

This Canine Community Code would apply to you and your dog when you are in a public place:

• Don't let your dog off lead unless you can demonstrate a really reliable recall. If you cannot call your dog back to you instantly, it means your dog is out of control. This is the first thing a court appointed expert on dog behavior will look at if you fall foul of the law
• Do not allow your dog to approach dogs who are with their owners and under control on a lead. Your own dog may well be friendly, but you should never assume that the owner and dog it is approaching would welcome this. The law allows the owner of the dog on a lead to take whatever steps are deemed to be necessary to prevent another dog bothering them
• When walking on public pathways you should keep your dog in sight all of the time. Out of sight means out of your controlling influence. If you cannot see the path ahead then your dog should be walking closer to your side or be on lead
• Only allow your dog off to play with other dogs if the other owners have agreed to this and all owners can demonstrate good control over their dogs
• Reserve dog treats for your own dog. Feeding other peoples dogs can encourage them to approach you and others in the expectation of getting food and can encourage some to jump up
• Be polite and put your dog on a lead when you see another person approaching either with or without another dog so that your dog in under control as you pass by
• Respect the right of others to use public areas for recreation. Never allow your dog to bother others. Train your dog to be under good control both on and off lead
• Find out what public areas do not allow dogs and which impose lead restrictions. Abide by these laws and by-laws. Your local dog warden should be able to advise you
• When walking your dog in town, always position your dog closest to the building line when possible, with you closest to the centre of the pavement. This allows other pedestrians to pass freely without having to manoeuvre past your dog
• Dogs should not pass one another nose to nose. When walking on the lead and passing other dogs, always position your dog so that you and other owners pass with the dogs on the outside
• Take out third party insurance on your dog to guard against situations when things go wrong in which case you could end up with a hefty bill
• Always take with you some means of cleaning up after your dog but DO NOT take your dog into a public area in the hope that he will eliminate in public! Your dog should eliminate in an appropriate place, preferably on your own property, before you leave home

What if we do nothing?
It is likely that the government will act to address the problem of out of control dogs in public places and we may lose access to the areas where we exercise our dogs. We must all work together to earn the right to keep these areas by being responsible owners who keep our dogs under good control.
If you need to gain more control over your dog, contact Down Dog for help and advice. Or your dog warden, veterinary surgery, or an internet search can give you a list of trainers in your area.
Please pass this information on to every dog owner in your community.
If we all act together we can make a difference and hopefully retain our right to exercise our dogs in public areas.

KEY POINT: Be Considerate

We should all be considerate with each other and we must keep our dogs under control. Follow the Canine Community Code. If your dog runs up to other people and dogs, you'll annoy them and you risk a visit from the dog warden. You may have to abide by a control order, which will frustrate you and your dog. Book our help to solve the problems you have with your dog so you can both enjoy your walks with confidence.

Canine Community Code

• The law says your dog must be under control at all times when in public places
• Can you walk freely with your dog in your local parks and beaches?
• Can your dog get off lead exercise in your local community open spaces?
• Each year there are more and more dog control orders and limits on what we can do when out walking our dogs. Dog bites are more common, off lead dogs are causing annoyance and fear to others and dog wardens are busier and busier with dog behaviour complaints
• Please download this leaflet and share it with as many people as you can, dog owners and non-dog owners
• If everyone understood and abided by the Canine Community Code we'd all enjoy our walks more, our dogs could have more freedom and dog and non-dog people would be able to live in harmony with each other to appreciate our wonderful countryside together

With thanks to John Rogerson
Other References: Controlling Your Dog In Public
Dog (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011