This page gives advice on problems around persistent dog fouling or barking, dangerous dogs, problems with other pets and who to report each problem to.
What issues are you facing?
This refers to when dog owners do not clean up and dispose of their dog’s waste. This is a criminal offence as part of The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996.
What you can do
- Please report it to your local council
- If the dog mess is persistently being left on public land – such as pavements or the park, please contact the police. They may be able to issue a fine if there’s enough evidence.
- If you’d like to speak with us about a persistent dog foul issue on land that we own, please contact us.
This is not generally classed as anti-social behaviour and needs to be managed as a noise issue. Dogs bark for many reasons and may not necessarily be in distress, or due to neglect or mishandling.
What you can do
- If you feel safe to do so, have a friendly word with your neighbour they may not realise the barking is causing an issue.
- You can also take look at our tips to reduce noise - some of these things you’ll be able to do, others you could speak to your neighbour about.
- If you still feel you are being disturbed, we suggest you contact a local Environmental Health Officer . If they decide to take enforcement action, we will use this as evidence against the dog owner if appropriate.
- If the behaviour is persistent (continuous periods lasting over 30 minutes a day for at least five days within one week) and you do not feel safe approaching your neighbour, or you have tried and the situation has not improved, once you have contacted the local Environmental Health Officer, please contact us to report this to us.
- If you have concerns about the welfare of a pet, you should contact the RSPCA .
If a dog is aggressive towards you and you fear for your safety (even if it’s not bitten you), please report it to the police immediately. You'll find information about the law and dangerous dogs on the gov.uk website .
If you report it to the police, please contact us by phone or using our online Report ASB form with the incident report number and the officer’s name, so we can speak to the police, and you, about any next steps.
We recognise that, apart from dogs, there are some other pets that may also cause a nuisance to customers.
We will take appropriate if we are made aware of any concerns. If you have concerns about other pets, please contact us.
Please note - if you live in a home owned or managed by us, depending on where you live, you may need to seek permission from us to own a pet. Please contact us to check or to make an application.