Dog Control

If a dog defecates at any time on land to which this Order applies and a person who is in charge of the dog at that time fails to remove the faeces from the land immediately, that person shall be guilty of an offence unless:

• They have a reasonable excuse for failing to do so; or
• The owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the land has consented (generally or specifically) to them failing to do so.

Nothing in the PSPO applies to a person who:

• Is registered as a blind person in a register compiled under section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948; or

• Has a disability which affects mobility, manual dexterity, physical coordination or ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects, in respect of a dog trained by a prescribed charity and upon which they rely for assistance.
• Each of the following is a “prescribed charity”: Dogs for the Disabled (registered charity number 700454), Support Dogs (registered charity number 108828), Canine Partners for Independence (registered charity number 803680).
  

For the purposes of the PSPO

1. A person who habitually has a dog in their possession shall be taken to be in charge of the dog at any time unless at that time some other person is in charge of the dog.
2. Placing the faeces in a receptacle on the land which is provided for the purpose, or for the disposal of waste, shall be a sufficient removal from the land.
3. Being unaware of the defecation (whether by reason of not being in the vicinity or otherwise), or not having a device for or other suitable means of removing the faeces shall not be a reasonable excuse for failing to remove the faeces.

Penalty

A person who fails to clear up dog faeces may be offered an on the spot £80 fixed penalty notice or on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,000.

Where does the PSPO apply?

Subject to the exception in paragraph 3 below, all land which is in the administrative area of the Council and which is:

1. Open to the air (which includes land that is covered but open to the air on at least one side) and;
2. To which the public are entitled or permitted to have access (with or without payment).
3. Excepted from the description in paragraph 1 above is land that is placed at the disposal of the Forestry Commissioners under section 39(1) of the Forestry Act 1967.

A person in charge of a dog shall be guilty of an offence if, at any time, they take the dog onto, or permits the dog to enter or to remain on, any land to which this order applies unless:

• They have a reasonable excuse for doing so; or
• The owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the land has consented (generally or specifically) to his doing so.

Nothing in the PSPO applies to a person who:

• Is registered as a blind person in a register compiled under section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948; or
• Is deaf, in respect of a dog trained by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (registered charity number 293358) and upon which they rely for assistance; or
• Has a disability which affects mobility, manual dexterity, physical coordination or ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects, in respect of a dog trained by a prescribed charity and upon which they rely for assistance.

For the purposes of the PSPO:

1. A person who habitually has a dog in his possession shall be taken to be in charge of the dog at any time unless at that time some other person is in charge of the dog; and
2. Each of the following is a ‘prescribed charity’: Dogs for the Disabled (registered charity number 700454), Support Dogs (registered charity number 1088281), Canine Partners for Independence (registered charity number 803680).    

Penalty

A person who takes a dog or dogs onto land where dogs are excluded may be offered an on the spot £100 fixed penalty notice or on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,000.

Where does the PSPO apply?

1. All land within the council’s administrative area comprising any fenced (and/or hedged and/ or walled) educational facility (school) signed at its entrance(s) as a ‘dog exclusion area’ (whether the sign uses those particular words or words and/or symbols having like effect).
2. All land within the council’s administrative area comprising any fenced (and / or hedged and / or walled) children’s play area signed at its entrance(s) as a ‘dog exclusion area’ (whether the sign uses those particular words or words and / or symbols having like effect).

A person in charge of more than four dogs shall be guilty of an offence, unless:  

• They have a reasonable excuse for doing so; or  

• The owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the land has consented (generally or specifically) to their doing so. 

For the purposes of the PSPO:

1. A person who habitually has a dog in his possession shall be taken to be in charge of the dog at any time unless at that time some other person is in charge of the dog.

Penalty

A person who walks four or more dogs on their own may be offered an on the spot £100 fixed penalty notice or on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,000.

Where does the PSPO apply?

Subject to the exception in paragraph 3 below, all land which is in the administrative area of the Council and which is:

1. Open to the air (which includes land that is covered but open to the air on at least one side) and;
2. To which the public are entitled or permitted to have access (with or without payment).
3. Excepted from the description in paragraph 1 above is land that is placed at the disposal of the Forestry Commissioners under section 39(1) of the Forestry Act 1967.  

If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place or has bitten someone, please call Humberside Police on 101 or in an emergency call  999.

Concerns about the welfare of a pet animal need to be reported to the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

In the event of an emergency, such as an animal being beaten there and then, the Police need to be contacted on 999 for urgent assistance.

If you are concerned about animals fighting, please contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

If you suspect someone is keeping a prohibited dog type, such as a Pitbull, you need to inform the Police by calling 101.

Concerns about the health or welfare of farm livestock need to be reported to our Animal Health Team within the Trading Standards Service.

Some barking dogs can cause a nuisance to surrounding residents. We have more information on our Noise Control section.

To pay a Fixed Penalty Notice, please go to our Fixed Penalty Notice page.

• The day, date, location and time that the incident occurred.
• A description of the person in charge of the dog at the time the incident occurred.
• A description of the dog that they were walking.
• If they arrived in a vehicle, a description of the vehicle including the vehicle registration.
• How far away you were when the incident occurred.
• What kind of view you had.
• The address of the person in charge of the dog.

If you are concerned about dog fouling in your area but have not witnessed someone failing to clean up after their dog, you can help by providing the following information.

• The name and address of the dog owner you think may not be cleaning up after their dog.
• A description of the owner and their dog if they are unknown to you.
• Brief details of the route they take or information that they let their dog out unsupervised.
• Approximate times they walk or let their dog out.
• If there is sufficient intelligence we can patrol the area in to educate and persuade irresponsible dog owners on the consequences of not clearing up after their dog.

Where an authorised officer has witnessed a dog fouling offence we will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) to a dog owner who refuses to clear up after their dog when asked to do so. If they do not accept the FPN we will aim to prosecute.

Always carry a poop scoop, which is a specially designed plastic shovel, or a bag to carry the dog mess to a suitable waste bin. If there isn’t a litter bin, take it home and dispose of it there.

Dog owners should not allow their pets to foul at random in public areas. Toilet training at puppy stage helps.

If possible, you should encourage your dog to use your own garden – you can then bag the waste and place it in your wheeled bin.

Do not put dog mess in a brown garden recycling bin.

To pay a Fixed Penalty Notice, please go to our Fixed Penalty Notice page.

In most public places it is an offence for anyone in charge of a dog to fail to clean up after the dog when it fouls. The offence carries a fine.

Dog mess will be cleared from hard surfaces only, and we aim to remove it within five working days from when it is reported.

Please report incidences of dog fouling.

For more information about dog waste bins, please visit our street cleaning programme page.

We:

• empty all dog waste bins at least once a week
• respond to reports of overflowing bins within five working days
• assess reports of damaged bins or bins that need replacing within five working days.

Please report overflowing or damaged dog bins using the online form:

If you find a stray dog, contact our Dog Warden on 01724 297000 and we will arrange to pick up the dog from you.

In addition, there are many Facebook pages/groups where you can post information about the dog you have found; this may help find the owner directly.

If you have found a dog and wish to take it straight to our kennels, please contact Sangreat Kennels on 01652 652453 so that the staff are ready to meet you.

Please note that Sangreat Kennels is only open to the public during the following times:

• Monday to Saturday: 9am to 5pm
• Sundays and bank holidays: 1pm to 4pm

If your dog has been found by the Dog Warden, it will be taken to Sangreat Kennels. Dogs may also be taken there directly by a member of the public.

Dogs may be reclaimed from Sangreat Kennels between the following hours:

• Monday to Saturday: 9am to 5pm
• Sundays and bank holidays: 1pm to 4pm

Sangreat Kennels is closed on Christmas Day.

There are also a number of Facebook pages/groups where you can post information about the dog you have lost.

If you are unable to find your dog via social media or at Sangreat Kennels, contact the dog warden on 01724 297000 or email us at customerservice@northlincs.gov.uk to report your dog as missing. We will not respond unless we know the whereabouts of your dog.

For dogs that have been found and taken to Sangreat Kennels, you must prove that you are the owner of the dog before you can take the dog home.

Sangreat Kennels staff are not authorised to release any dog until all fees are paid in full and they are satisfied of ownership. If collecting a dog, you must provide at least two forms of identification that match the dogs microchip records.

If the microchip details are incorrect or the dog is not microchipped, the dog will not be released until this is rectified. (NB there may be additional charges for dogs found without microchips)

If you do not claim or collect your dog within 7 days of it being taken to Sangreat Kennels, we will attempt to re-home it.

The fees for the release of a dog depend on how long the dog has been at Sangreat Kennels, what time it was accepted into the kennels and whether the Dog Warden took the dog to the kennels. Read the Stray dog reclaim fees [XLS, 17Kb] document that shows the fees which apply to the varying circumstances.

We have an excellent record of re-homing unclaimed stray dogs and always try to find a new home for dogs. There are often dogs for sale at Sangreat Kennels, which cost £60.

If you are looking to give an unclaimed stray dog a good home, please visit the Sangreat Kennels website or call them on 01652 652453.

• Get your dog microchipped, it is the law
• Make sure your dog is always wearing a collar with an up to date tag attached, it is the law
• The dog tag should show, as a minimum, your name, address and a contact telephone number
• Always close your gate so your dog can’t escape
• Fix any holes or gaps in your fence that your dog could escape through
• On windy days, check fence panels haven’t blown down before you let your dog out
• Take photographs of your dog in case it does get lost
• Join social media pages such as Facebook which reunite lost dogs.