Dogs off leads near children in parks - what are the rules?

[ABD25]

I'm a mum of two and I am looking for some help on an issue I've faced multiple times involving dogs off their leads in my local park.

Does anyone have any useful information on what the rules are regarding dogs being allowed off their leads in public parks, if there are any rules at all? Is there any kind of repercussion for dog owners who act irresponsibly even? If there are no rules regarding this, does anyone know why? I have phoned my council to flag a couple of recent incidents to their dog warden, but I was told this isn't something the warden would deal with - they only deal with lost/missing/injured dog reports.

For context, I was having a picnic with my two young children- a toddler and a baby. We were sat just metres from our park cafe - an area clearly frequented by families, and very close to the children's play area. Halfway through our picnic I heard a woman calling a name and when I looked behind me, whilst sat on our picnic blanket with my son on my lap and my baby in his pram next to us, a big black dog was charging towards us. I jumped up with my son in my arms, hoping the dog wouldn't jump up to the pram. All I could do was wait for the dog to reach us - I felt completely defenseless and scared - the owner was nowhere near the dog as they couldn't keep up with the dog running. It came right to us, jumping up, trampled all over our picnic blanket, sniffed and drooled all over my baby's changing bag, our picnic bag, my son's belongings - it then ate my son's sandwich. The owner then reached the blanket - I'd demanded to know why the dog wasn't on the lead and all they could say was 'she wouldn't hurt you' It upset my son, naturally.

This was the third time it had happened to us this summer and this time - at a loss for what to do to ensure this doesn't happen again to my children - I took a photo of the owner and her dog in case it could be used to report her somehow.

I'm aware there was an incident in the Park recently too, where a woman was knocked off her bike by a dog that had been allowed to run loose - the woman ended up in a very serious state in hospital.

I understand dogs need to have time off their leads but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to be on their leads when in public parks frequented by families. It's not like we were having a picnic in the middle of a quiet field - we were in a busy area by the cafe and playground.

It's no good owners saying 'they wouldn't hurt you' - they are animals and unpredictable. I've heard owners say 'they usually come back when I call' - but clearly not all dogs do listen to their owners. It's simply a situation that innocent families or members of the public shouldn't be put in and it's so easily avoidable if dog owners act responsibly.

I do feel nervous to take my children for a picnic in the park alone now, or to play. I'm sure I'm not the only person to have had this kind of experience in a local park. If there is no kind of legislation, I wonder if this is something that needs to be addressed with councils - more clearly designated areas, signage put up and a way for there to be repercussions for the very small minority of dog owners who are irresponsible and do not comply.

I don’t know. I feel like people will tell you the dogs/owners have as much right to be there as you. But I feel the same. I had a horrible experience where a friend and I had our babies in carriers and she had a dog on a lead which was attacked by another dog.

These days I have a spray (like a dog repellant) that I will use if a dog was aggressive. I feel I need it as our local park has so many dogs off leads and my children are very small!

As I understand it, there is no one 'law' but different areas will have different bylaws, so you would need to check with your local council. `

Dogs are allowed to be off the lead as long as they have good recall. They are not allowed to cause a nuisance and they are not allowed to be off the lead in clearly designated/fenced children's play areas.

It depends on the individual rules of the park. For example, mine is 'dogs under control' which doesn't means leads, but there are fenced off dog-free areas which are suitable for picnics.

Unless there are on lead rules in place, dogs can be off lead, but they have to be under control.

People who let their dogs off with no recall give all dog owners a bad name.

Not everyone wants their dog running up to them, their kids or even their own dogs!!

There is no general rule on this, it depends on the rules for each park. There is a criminal offence for having a dog dangerously out of control, but in practice that is only used to deal with very serious dog attacks. Dogs being a nuisance, raiding picnics, bothering people, is not against any law but it is bloody antisocial. And I speak as someone whose dog is a picnic thief, so we keep him on the lead if there's the remotest chance of someone having ground level sandwiches.

As above, I think there's no 'law' as such unless the area is a specific 'dogs ON leads area' like nature reserves and such.

I think you've just been unlucky in having run ins with poorly trained dogs and irresponsible owners.

Since covid I've noticed a massive increase in dogs with terrible recall