The Kennel Club is pleased that its work to protect dog owners’ rights has been recognised in recently updated Home Office guidance on the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
The guidance includes advice for local authorities on how they should use PSPOs, which became mandatory for authorities late last year. Any council or local authority wishing to introduce restrictions on dogs and their owners must now use a PSPO to do so. For example, if they wish to limit where a dog is allowed to be off-lead or ban dogs from being on a sports field.
In October 2016, the Kennel Club released a report detailing the ways in which PSPOs could help or hinder dog owners across the UK. ‘Out of Order: the Impact of Access Restrictions on Dogs and their Owners’ was launched in Parliament by the Kennel Club and since then, the UK’s largest organisation dedicated to the welfare of dogs, has worked closely with the Home Office to ensure that dog owners would be fairly represented in the new updated guidance.
As the only animal welfare organisation to be mentioned within the new Home Office guidance, as well as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ advice on how to use PSPOs, the Kennel Club is now recognised as the leading authority on dog access issues and local authorities are therefore advised to contact the Kennel Club when introducing a restriction that will have an impact on dogs and their owners.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary said: “We are pleased that the Home Office consulted with the Kennel Club when updating their PSPO guidance for local authorities. As the leading canine organisation in this field, the Kennel Club’s public affairs team works closely with both dog walkers and councils across England and Wales to ensure that any PSPOs or other regulations are fair and proportionate to all users of a public space.”