Forums Forums Local News New rules on where you can walk dogs

The Council is suggesting a few small areas of beach around Wirral's beautiful coast where dogs will be forbidden in the summer months, also keeping sports pitches and playgrounds dog-free (as they should be), insisting people clear up their dog's poo and not leave bags hanging around (good luck with that one!!). Info is on the Council website and the Wirral Globe website has maps of affected areas. To be honest it all seems pretty reasonable, but people will need to be aware of any changes, especially in Birkenhead Park where there are a number of proposed dog-free areas. No hanging dog poo bags in trees and forgetting to come back for them any more! That is a particularly unattractive habit that I'll be glad to see the back of. Although how the Council intends to police all this, given the cuts, I wil be very interested to see...

Maps here:


http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/1...r_dog_in_Wirral_anymore_under_new_plans/

Another change is the intent to prosecute if you walk a dog without being in possession of a suitable method of cleaning up after it - no idea how that would operate, unless under lines of stop and search?

I agree with some of the things they want to do,picnic areas & play/sports areas.My son used to play football in Birkenhead park & it's not nice having to pick up someone elses dog mess.I used to take Misty to his games,home & away & she was never allowed on the pitch.The beach a different matter,always keep away from people it's not always sunny & I've enjoyed going when it's raining as there is no one else there & the dog can have a run & what about the people who live there.I've always got loads of bags & mess is always binned,can't say the same for the amount of human litter.It's always the few inconsiderate people spoil it for the majority.

That's a good point about the human litter - that needs tackling too. The Council would make a fortune if they descended mob-handed onto the beach at the end of a sunny day - or onto football pitches where plastic bottles etc are left lying around. If they're as skint as they say they are, they're missing a lot of chances to make money.

As for poo bags and stop and search, some people I know just tie the poo bag to the dog lead (before it's been filled of course!). You can buy little containers that clip onto a dog's collar, too - easy solutions. I've always got an emergency poo bag in handbag or pocket, even if I don't have my daughter's dog with me. Like shopping bags when the plastic bag charge came into effect, people will just have to get used to carrying poo bags. Dog-walkers should be carrying them anyway!

There have always been restrictions on certain beaches for dog walking in Wirral, so I'm not sure what the new criteria is, as the link above has just annoyed me ( they all do these days) by another pop up for cookies etc. So I haven't read it.

How they police it ? I doubt the police will, too expensive. I doubt council employees will, not enough of them and too expensive (overtime, pensions etc.) so I suggest that it will be placed in the hands of another agency on a five or ten year contract at unchallenged cost. This would allow unidentifiable persons, able to pose in wet suits, flippers and snorkels on WK beach, ready to pounce on the last receipt from Morrison's, that flew out of a pensioners plastic carrier bag.

Plastic bags and plastic doggy bags !! Are they part of the campaign too, because they should be if the environmental job (not a pun) is being done properly. ?

Most offenders I imagine ,could be from other areas outside Wirral. Unaware day trippers , who shall be horrified and ,maybe ' loud' in a public place when confronted with the merry band of bandits. Never to return to the land of the smugglers again.

Just an opinion !

I wouldn't be surprised if it was that lovely Kingdom firm,targeting pensioners with the little lap dog but not the hard looking fella with a big rottie

Just from the map, it looks as if you're not familiar with the area around Birkenhead Park map, it would be quite hard to recognize where you can go and where you cant.

granny - you can often get round the cookie demands from all and sundry sites, by clicking options, ticking nothing at all , and then' saving' or 'next' - on this one it takes you back so you can read under the cookie demand box.

Wonder if that tiny bit of pink at the entrance to West Kirby beach by the marine lake stops you walking out beyond it . Walking across the pink bit rather seems to defeat the object

thanks Venice. They all seem to be different but so annoying

West Kirby no-dog zone is from the sailing centre carpark to Riversdale Road you can still turn right with your dog at the bottom of Riversdale Road onto the beach heading in Red Rocks direction. No idea why the globe didn't publish all the maps the Council has provided HERE

I think the Birkenhead Park areas will be fenced and signed.

This might not happen for a while, Wirral Council has declared a freeze on non-essential spending but this project might come from external funding.

Why don't the council just publish the proposed rules instead of making imaginary questions in a faq page? I'd prefer to see the exact rules they are proposing not a simplified version of them eg in the faq they have not allowed for the use of mechanical pooper-scoopers instead of bags, this is highly discriminatory against disabled and infirm people.

another thing someone pointed out on the questionaire there was no box so you could add other things to put a point of view across

Certainly dont think a council agent would have the power to stop and see if you had means to pick up poo, i doubt they would even have any authority to even ask you let alone for you to have too answer them. unless.....
I remember reading somewhere (probably a conspiracy website) there was a move to give more powers to the likes of Kingdom..sort of secondary police force ..

Cant really see the new maps actually reducing the amount of dog muck left might mean it just gets left in different places..

Also i wonder if they plan to put more car park charges in these dog areas.....kerching!

Although they can't insist on searching you or insist you show your poo bags, that may not stop them from prosecuting for "failure to produce". It all depends on the wording of the actual rules.

This is as crazy as the dog licence, the owners that behave themselves will be inconvenienced, the owners that don't behave themselves will probably ignore the new rules.

There is also a fairly good rule that officers can ask you to put your dog on a lead if it is off-lead.

I often picnic and kayak at Caldy beach. And every single time I go I see a dog off a lead getting into a scrap with another dog - usually followed by an apology or "he's never normally like this", or a dog crapping where the owner can't see (or doesn't want to see), and it doesn't get picked up.

Until these scummy owners are challenged and forced to be responsible, everyone suffers.

My dog is kept on a lead unless there are no other dogs in the area then I let her have a run round and she's on the lead till she's done her business. It's always the irresponsible owners gives all owners a bad name