Motion proposed to fine Sheffield dog owners who don't carry poo bags
"A small group of people seem to want to almost own the streets with their dogs”
A motion to introduce fines for Sheffield dog owners who don't carry poo bags will be put to a full council meeting this week.
The 'dogs in public spaces protection order' would see enforcement officers giving fines for people walking dogs without poo bags, not picking up waste or people letting their dogs off leads near playgrounds or primary schools.
Councillor Mark Rusling, who proposed the motion, said: "Most dog owners are totally responsible, but a handful are not.
"A small group of people seem to want to almost own the streets with their dogs.
"That can make those streets, particularly when it's dark mornings and darker nights, can make them pretty scary places to go. Particularly if you're less mobile or you've got your kids."
He said while this behaviour is not dangerous by itself, it can be dangerous to certain groups like young kids or less mobile people.
He continued: "Ultimately, it's the dog owner's responsibility to clear up their dog's mess. It's not our council workers, Amey workers, or members of the public."
He said other cities like Leeds have similar powers in place and anecdotally he has heard these schemes are successful.
If this motion passes, he explained part of it would involve evidence gathering of what worked well and what didn't in other places.
Similar to the Prime Minister's recent ruling on people playing music out loud on public transport, Coun Rusling said dog poo on the street falls into a bracket of "everyday annoyances."
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"It's why I think the potholes and street bins are really important, because it's people's basic everyday quality of life that is affected by this stuff.
"There are big things that we should be doing as well. It's not saying this is the only stuff we should do.
"But if that's your reality of life that you see potholes, you see litter, you see dog dirt.
"If that's your reality of using the pavements outside your house or the pavement outside your kids' primary school and the reality is that you can't really use them without complete constant vigilance because other ways that some users are using them with their dogs.
"That can have a serious impact on your day and on your sense of feeling part of the community."
He confirmed the motion would not propose "an army of operatives around the city interrogating every dog owner," but instead would help "good dog owners" to make sure everybody is behaving in the same way.
The dogs in public spaces motion is due to be proposed at full council this week where councillors will have a chance to vote on it.