Barking mad.........

Now anyone who uses open public spaces would agree that stepping in dog fouling is not a pleasant experience but rather than target the actual root of the problem a cash-strapped council has come up with an ingenious way of raking in even more revenue from law-abiding people.


And no it’s not the motorist who’s been targeted………

Dog owners are facing £1,000 fines if they take their pets to the park on long leads.

Yes long leads……

The ban on leads longer than two 6ft 5in applies to dozens of parks and open spaces.

'Bosses at Tameside council say they have brought in the measure to reduce dog fouling. The council says owners are more likely to clean up after their pets if they are on a short lead.'

But what if the dog, obediently walking beside its owner as mine does on command is not on a lead at all…..

Tameside is the first local authority in Greater Manchester to bring in the rule and introduced it despite many retractable leads being between 15ft and 22ft in length.’

I would dearly love to see the council's research that suggests the distance between dog-on-lead and the dog-owner is representative of the likelihood of said dog-owner cleaning up their dogs mess.

Who were the people sitting in some cosy taxpayer funded council office wasting hours and hours of our money in a tea and biscuit overdosed ‘brain storming’ session that thought this one up!

I would genuinely love to know?

I would predict that no such research exists (not even a council would be stupid enough to commission something like that)

Or would they?

Any sane person with even just a sprinkling of common sense would know that it’s not the dogs higher cognitive faculty thinking “hey my owners 15ft away its time for dump he doesn’t have to pick up”

BUT rather the personality of the dog owner that determines if the pooch’s mess is cleared-up!

But that little pearl of wisdom must be too complicated for Tameside’s council bosses to assimilate.

Too much tea and biscuits must addle the brain.....

Then there's the question of how this policy would be policed. Are we going to see litter wardens and CHIMPS (Completely Hopeless in Most Policing Situations) as the Police call PCSO’s in Tameside whipping out their tape measures every time a person walks past with a dog on a lead?

“Excuse me sir please stand still and keep your dog under control but do not retract your lead I have a measurement to take”

They are drunk enough on petty power and officious enough to perhaps try…………

Rather than targeting the people that leave dog mess, which I would applaud in any case, it hits law-abiding dog walkers in the pocket. Fining someone for the length of their dog lead is the most absurd example of the raft of mindless petty rules and regulations that are there to bully and cajole the law abiding; fining someone £1000 for doing so is outrageous.

But the final word goes to Tameside Council who claim the idea is intended to make parks 'more enjoyable'

Ministry of Love anyone?

Barking mad indeed……


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