Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it is long overdue that we brought in dog licencing

189 replies

Eurghh · 13/02/2025 12:12

This is not a dog-bashing thread.

Dog poo is a massive issue in the UK - I agree some areas are worse than others, but i have lived in various places, holidayed all over, and it really is pretty bad pretty much everywhere. This country is already on its knees with paying for services out of the public fund, but SOMETHING has to be done about the huge number of people who let their dogs mess on the ground for the rest of us to contend with.

I think we need to bring back licences, which will pay for:

  • dog wardens to regularly patrol problem areas, and issue fines
  • a nightly hose down of pavements in problem areas and also all around pavements leading to schools
  • cctv to identify people who don't pick up after their dogs
  • dna database

All of this needs to be funded by dog licences.

YABU - the system is fine as it is
YANBU - please bring in licences for dog owners

Atttached to show a photo I took today which prompted me to write this, this quantity of poo is common round here, and I live in a naice well-to-do London borough.

To think it is long overdue that we brought in dog licencing
OP posts:
Original poster
Eurghh · 13/02/2025 12:25

Oistinemup · 13/02/2025 12:23

We used to have dog licences but they were very inexpensive so I can’t imagine the cost of the licence would have funded much.

I agree with you though as I’m sick of the state of our pavements too - it’s disgusting. I think it is worse at this time of year as the dark evenings and mornings make it easier to avoid having to pick up after the dog.

The new licence fee would have to be worked out to make sure it covered the cost of all that is needed to deal with the dog poo/other dog problems.

OP posts:
taxguru · 13/02/2025 12:24

dizzydizzydizzy · 13/02/2025 12:22

Yes. £100 per dog per year, except for service dogs.

Yes, needs to be at a level where it's worth doing and will fund street wardens. If you want a dog, then it's a cost of ownership. Just like road fund licence is a cost of having a car.

Original poster
Eurghh · 13/02/2025 12:23

JudgeBread · 13/02/2025 12:21

As a postie I agree wholeheartedly. It's getting so much worse, I have to dodge massive piles of shit constantly on every walk I do in every kind of area from the big posh naice houses to the little council terraces to the high streets. It's vile. Nearly every van has had crap smeared on the floor at some point from some poor postie stepping in it.

Have you raised this with your union? It's a health and safety hazard.
Who has to clean it up?

The dog licence would go towards cleaning the van.

OP posts:
taxguru · 13/02/2025 12:23

Eurghh · 13/02/2025 12:22

Well, yes. Hence the need to not use public resources on dog wardens, which are sorely needed, and, I think, should be funded by those who have dogs, by way of a licence fee.

Show quote history

I agree. Raise some funds to fund councils to employ street wardens who can deal with dog shit, and also other anti social behaviour such as littering, spitting, etc., which already are illegal but never enforced.

Oistinemup · 13/02/2025 12:23

We used to have dog licences but they were very inexpensive so I can’t imagine the cost of the licence would have funded much.

I agree with you though as I’m sick of the state of our pavements too - it’s disgusting. I think it is worse at this time of year as the dark evenings and mornings make it easier to avoid having to pick up after the dog.

dizzydizzydizzy · 13/02/2025 12:22

Yes. £100 per dog per year, except for service dogs.

taxguru · 13/02/2025 12:22

We did used to have dog licences but they were scrapped a few decades ago.

Typically UK - scrap something rather than do it properly!

Original poster
Eurghh · 13/02/2025 12:22

loulouljh · 13/02/2025 12:21

WE don't have enough police let alone funding dog wardens.

Well, yes. Hence the need to not use public resources on dog wardens, which are sorely needed, and, I think, should be funded by those who have dogs, by way of a licence fee.

OP posts:
JudgeBread · 13/02/2025 12:21

As a postie I agree wholeheartedly. It's getting so much worse, I have to dodge massive piles of shit constantly on every walk I do in every kind of area from the big posh naice houses to the little council terraces to the high streets. It's vile. Nearly every van has had crap smeared on the floor at some point from some poor postie stepping in it.

loulouljh · 13/02/2025 12:21

WE don't have enough police let alone funding dog wardens.

Original poster
Eurghh · 13/02/2025 12:19

Runningoutofthyme · 13/02/2025 12:13

We don’t even have enough police to patrol the streets for crime
whos paying for the dog wardens to do their patrols

Well, quite. I have actually never even seen a dog warden in my entire life (assume they'd have a uniform - maybe they are undercover though and that's what we don't see them).

OP posts:
InsolentAnnie · 13/02/2025 12:17

If it could be self-funded, then absolutely. I don’t think it’ll be done any time soon though, given the state of everything else… Though it should be brought in to discourage people who just think ‘ooh what a cute puppy’ then either abandon it when it all gets too much for them, or let it do what it likes so it becomes a danger to children (and adults). My friend is a social worker and the number of times she comes across children living in houses with poo-covered floors and/or aggressive dogs is unreal.

SomeOtherUser · 13/02/2025 12:16

It's awful where I live too. Utterly antisocial behaviour. If there's anyone on here who leaves their dog's poo in the street (statistics suggest there must be), I'd love to hear your justification as I cannot think of any.

Runningoutofthyme · 13/02/2025 12:13

We don’t even have enough police to patrol the streets for crime
whos paying for the dog wardens to do their patrols

Swipe left for the next trending thread