Advice for pet owners at Sconce and Devon pop-up events

The event offered park users a chance to chat to officers from the Council’s Public Protection and Environmental Teams about a variety of advice including identity tags and microchipping, reporting dog fouling, necessary health checks, grooming and more.

Officers were handing out free dog essentials including dog tags, poo bags and dispensers, lights, personal alarms and high visibility sticker packs. The furry friends that visited the stand also got treats from our Community Protection Officers!

A follow up event at Sconce and Devon Park is being held on 4 April from 4pm to 6pm, and residents will again have the chance to chat to Council officers about responsible dog ownership, with representatives from the Dog’s Trust also joining the event to offer advice and guidance.

Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council said: “Events like this are a great chance for residents to get some one-on-one advice from our officers about caring for their pet so I encourage everyone who didn’t get the chance to visit last week’s event to pop down for the follow up on 4 April.”

Sconce and Devon Park has recently had reported issues of dog fouling, in particular on the new outdoor fitness zone. In order to tackle this the District Council has arranged these events encouraging responsible dog ownership and have increased patrols around the site to deter and identify offenders.

Councillor Taylor continues: “Our district is home to so many fantastic areas for fun, fitness and play and we want to ensure those areas are clean and safe for all to use. We all know dog mess is an eyesore, but it can also be a health hazard, and in serious cases can lead toxocariasis. Children are much more susceptible to this as they play near to the ground and put things near their mouths, which is why the recent complaints of dog fouling around the new fitness equipment was extremely troubling to hear and we will not allow it to continue.

“Please keep pets away from play and fitness equipment and always clean up after your pet when out and about in public so we can all enjoy a safe and clean community.”

It is an offence not to clear up after your dog and anyone caught can be fined up to £1,000.

This law applies to almost all areas in the open air to which the public have access and District Council Public Protection and Environmental teams are authorised to give offenders an on-the-spot fine in the form of a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).

Dog fouling can be reported on the District Council website: https://selfservice.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/renderform.aspx?t=69&k=A43E19D62A1C1D06ACC25F4024CA86B2589BCC76

The District Council is currently undertaking a review of the district’s Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) and asking the public to give their feedback to ensure the orders reflect the needs of the local community. Some of the PSPOs listed are in relation responsible dog ownership on land used by the public. Residents are encouraged to have their say through the first stage survey: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NSDCPSPO/. You can find out more about the review here: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/latest-news/2024/march/public-space-protection-orders-survey/