DOG owners who cannot control their pets could face fines of up to £1,000 in Wrexham.
Council bosses want to bring in tough new dog control laws to keep owners and their pets in line.
They want strict penalties for owners of dogs who foul local parks and pavements, and for those who don’t keep their pets on a lead on public highways.
It would become an offence for dogs to roam in fenced children’s play areas, and marked sports pitches and bowling greens, say Wrexham County Borough Council chiefs.
The recommendations, to be discussed on Wednesday, come after extensive consultation across Wrexham which showed widespread support for a crack down on badly behaved canines.
A report by chief housing and public protection office Andy Lewis: “There was widespread agreement amongst respondents in support of continuing to tackle dog fouling by means of enforcement.
“Almost all respondents (95%) supported the implementation of dog fouling orders to be applied as widely as possible. This response was echoed by both community councils and the wider public whether they were dog owners or not.”
There is currently dog fouling enforcement in Wrexham where owners can be fined, but council chiefs want to bring all the offences under the single banner of Dog Control Orders.
Offences may also be dealt with by a fixed penalty notice of between £50 and £80 with certain exemptions made for “assistance” dogs such as guide dogs for the blind.
At the moment dogs don’t have to be kept on leads and are not banned from many locations, with the exception of a small number of areas which have a local byelaw.
But council chiefs want to change this making it an offence if dogs are off the lead on highways which “all members of the public have a right to pass and re-pass.”
This includes pavements, paved pedestrianised areas, public car parks and land next to and including roads.
Mr Lewis said: “There was a high level of support (over 80% from one public survey) for dogs to be kept on leads in pedestrian areas and on pavements. This would have the added benefit of allowing action to be taken against owners who habitually let their dogs out unaccompanied.
“Only 25% of respondents were in favour of ensuring dogs were kept on leads permanently in parks and this action would necessarily be unduly restrictive to the majority of people who wish to exercise their dogs responsibly.”
