Danielle Easen Dog Warden

31st May 2023: Respect all wildlife when walking your dog

“It is your job to manage your dog, and there are different ways to satisfy their natural instinct whilst not actually causing stress or harm to other living creatures.”

This week I take a look at dog walking and interactions with livestock, wildlife and the environment. 

We are very lucky to have such beautiful surroundings with the best of both worlds - the beach and the South Downs. The open spaces we have here are home to all sorts of animals, so it's important as dog owners to ensure that we respect the homes of other animals and try to make as little impact on them as possible whilst enjoying the outdoors.

At this time of year lots of animals are breeding. You may see lambs in the fields, hear baby birds in their nest and, if you are really lucky, maybe see a fawn with their mum.

You may not realise but out-of-control dogs can cause sheep to die or abort their ewes, while chasing birds from their resting and feeding places means those birds cannot recuperate and could die from exhaustion, or even from being eaten by a dog. It can even cause traffic accidents if dogs chase some larger wildlife into a road or train track. 

Do you know much about your dog's natural instinctual behaviours? 

There are seven main categories of dog breeds: Gun dog, Hound, Pastoral, Terrier, Toy, Utility and Working. They were categorised for their different initial purposes: 

• Gun dogs - finding, flushing out and retrieving game. 
• Hound dogs - hunting and tracking, by either using their scent or eyesight. 
• Pastoral dogs (my favourite) - livestock herding and guarding. 
• Terrier - hunting and killing vermin. 
• Toy dogs - weren't really bred for working but more for companionship. 
• Utility dogs - are a vast mixture of breeds and dogs in this group that can't be characterised as a group. 
• Working dogs - protection and guarding (families, premises, livestock), and for tough jobs like sledging, draft pulling and rescue. 

Your dog may be a cross breed and fall into a couple of different groups. Researching the type/s of dog your dog is can help you learn what you should look out for when training and can help troubleshoot potential issues with your dog. 

It is your job to manage your dog, and there are different ways to satisfy their natural instinct whilst not actually causing stress or harm to other living creatures. Some ways you could engage your dog are: 

• Gun dog training 
• Obedience training 
• Agility training 
• Barn Hunt training

Take a look at this link for some great tips for dogs around birds:

• The Coastal Code - on the Bird Aware Solent website

Photo: Swans and cygnets in the reeds

Photo: Sheep and lambs

Photo: Cows grazing

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16th May 2023: Dog walking and dog walking etiquette

“Letting your off lead dog approach a leashed dog can be so dangerous for all involved.”

Today I'm taking a look at how important it is to keep you, your dog and the public safe.

Dog control is such a huge topic to try and cover in one blog post, so I am only going to highlight a couple of issues today - dog walking and dog walking etiquette.

In Adur and Worthing, one of our Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) states that one person can walk no more than six dogs at a time. 

From time to time we receive complaints from concerned members of the public about groups of people who are each walking six dogs and then meeting up to walk their dogs together creating a giant group of 12 to 18-plus dogs. Now whilst this is not against any rules, it can be very scary for others using the open spaces, and we ask that anyone who walks their dog(s) in public to be courteous and respect the space of others. 

An issue that comes up a lot is off-lead dogs approaching on-lead dogs. Dogs may be on a lead for so many reasons including:

• having poor recall
• high prey drive
• new dog to the family
• in training
• have an injury that they are dealing with
• they are reactive
• because the owner wants them to be

Letting your off lead dog approach a leashed dog can be so dangerous for all involved and could result in:

• dog fights causing injuries to both dogs and people,
• dogs getting spooked and running away,
• increase in fear and anxiety
• relapses in any training in progress

These issues can also occur if your dog runs up to random dogs who are off lead without prior checking with an owner.

I personally hate when I am at one end of a field with my dog playing together or doing some training and an owner lets their out of control dog off-lead and it comes bounding over from the other side of the field ignoring any commands from their owner, or even worse the owner doesn’t even try to recall the dog! Luckily for me, my dog is a good boy and will ignore these dogs, but that isn’t the case for everyone. 

The best way to try to avoid any of these issues is to recall your dog if you see another dog (whether on or off-lead), call out to the owner, ask if it is okay for your dog to greet theirs. If they say yes, great the dogs can have a sniff and play and if they say no, you can either leash your dogs and pass or keep your dogs a good distance away so you can get around each other safely.

It is vital that dogs being walked in Adur and Worthing are kept under close control at all times.

Photo: Danielle's dog Billy (front) and his friend Jazz (behind)

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17th April 2023: Beach dog walking restrictions for 2023

It is approaching that time of year again - the seasonal beach restrictions are coming back into force.

From 1st May until 30th September the beach between Splash Point and Heene Road will be a dog exclusion zone. The area between the two boat launch ramps in Goring will also be part of the exclusion zone.

One of the recent changes to Adur & Worthing PSPOs involves the beach huts at Goring Beach. These are no longer included in the exclusion zone, so that the owners/users of the beach huts can have their dogs with them there. The exclusion still applies to the rest of the beach area.

This restriction applies to everyone, including locals and visitors to the area. It applies seven-days-a-week, including bank holidays and high or low tide. We are having lots of new signage put up to advise people of the restrictions.

As we are talking about the beach area, this is a polite reminder that dogs are also required to be held on a lead whilst walking along the promenade.

Anyone found to be breaking these rules will be liable to a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice (which can be issued by any authorised officer of the council) and could be prosecuted for £1000.

A new addition to our PSPOs requires anyone who is suspected of breaching a PSPO to provide the authorised officer with their name, address and date of birth.

The rest of the beaches in Adur and Worthing are free for dogs and their families to enjoy together all year round.

Mine and Billy's favourite part of the beach is the part near Brooklands Park. I love that you can park in the car parks on Brighton Road, cross at the Pelican crossing and use the ramp to access the beach. If we have enough time, we also like to do a loop of Brooklands Park after a swim to dry off!

If you are unsure of any of our PSPOs or the exact locations that dogs are excluded, please take a look at the maps on our website:

• Dogs on the beach - maps
• Controlling your dog in public - full PSPOs and maps

Photos: A dog on a beach and a dog exclusion beach sign

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21st December 2022: Keeping you and your dog safe

Hi, I am Danielle and in my latest blog, I talk about some of the changes to rules for dogs and dog walkers.

Public Space Protection Orders, commonly referred to as PSPOs, are used by Local Authorities to help tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour in public spaces. Adur & Worthing Councils use PSPOs for different things, including dog control.

The PSPOs we have relating to dogs are:

• Dog Fouling
• Dog on Lead areas
• Dog Exclusion zones
• Dogs on lead by direction
• Maximum number of dogs to be walked by one person

These PSPOs apply to public places across Adur and Worthing. Certain ones apply to certain areas. For example, dogs are excluded from children's playgrounds and they have to be on a lead in a cemetery. Details of all of these can be found on our dog control webpage.

Photo: The dog exclusion zone at the Meads in Shoreham

If you are caught breaching one of the PSPOs you are liable for a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice and failure to comply may result in you being taken to court and charged a fine of up to £1,000.

PSPOs come up for renewal once every three years and this is when we can go to a public consultation and get the public's view on certain areas.

Our latest consultation was in the summer this year when we asked residents, workers and visitors to Adur and Worthing to have their say on some proposed changes in the area.

We had a great response from the public and all of the proposed changes were favoured and came into effect on 18th December 2022, alongside the existing PSPOs.

The changes are:

Adur

• Adur Riverbank, off Brighton Road, Shoreham - the footpath becomes a 'dogs on lead' area
• Adur Ferry Bridge, Shoreham - the footpath becomes a 'dogs on lead' area
• Lancing Beach Green - the play area and skate park become 'dog exclusion zones'
• The Meads Recreation Ground, Shoreham - the fenced off area used by Swiss Gardens Primary School becomes a 'dog exclusion zone'

Worthing

• Beach House Park, Brighton Road, Worthing - the northern bowling green becomes a 'dog play area' (no restrictions)
• West Park Recreation Ground, Worthing Leisure Centre - the north east corner is removed from the dog excluded area
• Goring Beach - the northern boundary of the current exclusion area is moved south to remove the beach huts from the exclusion area
• Heene Terrace, Worthing - becomes a 'dogs on lead' area.

Added to each PSPO is a requirement for an individual to provide their personal details when being investigated for a possible PSPO offence.

For more information see Dog Control.

Photo: The north bowling green at Beach House Park

Photo: The dog exclusion zone at Lancing Beach Green

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