Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) are looking to renew the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for Dog Control following a period of consultation.
This order covers the whole district of Huntingdonshire.
The consultation process will include a variety of stakeholders, including members of the public, elected members, Town and Parish councils and partner agencies; following which, a summary of the findings will be compiled and presented via the HDC website.
In 2023, The Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for Dog Control was renewed with the addition of requirements to tackle irresponsible persons in charge of a dog.
This was to reduce the number of incidents around dog-on-animal attacks and dogs causing alarm and/or distress to members of the public.
You are invited to put forward any views that you have about the proposal for the renewal of the PSPO by 12pm on 13 September 2026 by following the link below:
Complete the form - Huntingdonshire Dog PSPO ConsultationFurther details on the proposed conditions of the HDC PSPO for Dog Control (2026), including land for which it applies, can be found in this accompanying PSPO document [PDF, 0.2MB].
If you have any further questions about this consultation, please email: communityaction@huntingdonshire.gov.uk
Reason for the proposed continuation of a PSPO for Dog Control
Since the 2023 renewal of the Dog Control PSPO, service requests received by HDC in relation to dog control have reduced slightly year on year.
| PSPO requirement | 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024 | 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2025 | 01/04/2025 to 31/03/2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dogs loose or out of control | 66 | 60 | 50 |
| Heavily fouled areas (dog faeces). | 82 | 70 | 48 |
| Stray dogs | 134 | 113 | 109 |
Huntingdonshire District Council reflect positively on this and suggests the current PSPO for Dog Control remains a positive tool to support officers in conducting their duties.
The order also sets out clear and continuing expectations for persons in charge of a dog across the district.
Proposed PSPO conditions
If the continuation of the HDC PSPO for Dog Control (2026) is enacted, it will be an offence for a person without reasonable excuse to do anything that the person is prohibited from doing, and/or fail to comply with requirement(s) to which the person is subject to:
- A breach is a criminal offence
- Enforcement Officers can issue a fixed penalty notice of up to £100, if appropriate
- If a case proceeds to prosecution, Offenders may receive a fine of up to £1000 and a criminal record.
The PSPO conditions/requirements have not changed since the 2023 renewal.
If approved, the following conditions are proposed:
- Dog faeces
- A requirement for a person responsible for dog(s) to remove its faeces from the land
- A requirement for a person responsible for a dog(s) to carry a suitable means for picking up dog faeces.
- Dogs out of control
- A requirement for a person responsible for dog(s) to prevent the damaging or destroying of another animal
- A requirement for a person responsible for dog(s) to prevent the causing of alarm and/or distress to another person
- A requirement for a person responsible for dog(s) to prevent the dog(s) repeatedly straying.
- Dogs on lead
- A requirement for a person responsible for dog(s) to keep dogs on lead in specified areas
- Upon request by an authorised officer.
- Dog prohibited locations (Schedule 2)
- By definition
- By specification.