Dogs on Leads
It is an offence if you do not keep your dog on a lead in an area which has been designated as a 'Dogs on Leads area.'
- This article applies to all areas covered by Rule 56 of the Highway Code i.e., on the road, or on the pavement, or on a path shared with cyclists or horse riders within 30 mph speed zones.
- Areas with retail premises designated as zone 1 under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 i.e., where there are 2 or more commercial / shop premises
- Car Parks
- Cemeteries and Churchyards
- Any fenced, hedged or walled pond, area of water or nature reserve
- Marked sports fields whilst organised sport is in progress
- Areas delineated as formal gardens
Exemptions to the Order
The following are exempt from this order:
- Persons who have received specific consent from the landowner to enter the land with a dog and that dog is not secured on a lead.
Dogs on Leads by Direction
You may be requested to put your dog on a lead by an authorised officer of West Devon Borough Council, or a Police Officer if your dog is causing a nuisance or disturbance to any other person (on land to which this Order applies) or it is worrying or disturbing any animal or bird.
Subject to the exception in 1(ii) above, this article applies to all land which is in the administrative area of the Council and which is:
- Open to the air (which includes land that is covered but open to the air on at least one side); and
- To which the public are entitled or permitted to have access (with or without payment).
Exemptions to the Order
The following are exempt from this order:
- Persons who have received specific consent from the landowner to enter the land with a dog and that the dog does not need to be secured on a lead.