Council considers dog walking code of conduct

A code of conduct for dog walking could be introduced in Sheffield

A dog walking code of conduct and a voluntary registration scheme for commercial dog walkers could be introduced in Sheffield.

The city council's communities, parks and leisure policy committee will next week discuss a plan that aims to support dog owners to use parks and green spaces.

The code would include rules such as keeping dogs on leads and keeping to designated paths.

Registered commercial dog walkers would have to agree with the terms and conditions of the scheme and pay a fee of £10 per month, and in return would be listed on the council's parks and countryside website.

A council document estimates that there are 62,000 dogs in Sheffield and at least 70 commercial dog walking businesses, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The document says: "It is accepted that not all commercial dog walkers will register, however those that choose to do so demonstrate that they have agreed to comply with the terms and conditions of the registration scheme.

"This includes restricting the number of dogs they can walk at a time and ensures they have adequate qualifications and insurance."

Football coach Martin Windle said he once had to clean up 16 piles of dog poo

Ecclesall Rangers football coach Martin Windle, who previously said he had to clean up 16 piles of dog poo from the youth team's pitches, said he did not think the scheme would stop irresponsible dog walking.

"They're not getting fined, they're not being warned and there are no wardens there," he said.

However, he supported commercial dog walkers being limited on the number of dogs they could walk at once.

"We have one van after another, we're talking about people with eight to 10 dogs, and two ladies in particular had 14 dogs between them - you cannot control eight to 10 dogs pooing everywhere."

He said that some dog walking routes were poorly cared for and overgrown, meaning that dog waste could be lost in the tall grass.

He added that the amount of waste at the Whirlow Playing Fields on Limb Lane was the worst he had seen in his 40-year career of coaching young people.

"It's been the bane of my life, and the volunteers who turn up in the week and weekend, they're the ones who clean it up - not the council."

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