London council's new pet rules make dog owners nervous about park walks

Tower Hamlets councilʼs new-fangled rules might change how east londoners walk their dogs in public spaces. The council wants dogs on-leash everywhere except some yet-to-be picked spots (which nobody knows about yet)

The main changes include:

• No dogs in play-parks and sports zones
• Dogs must be leashed in all public areas
• Maximum 4 dogs per walker
• Fines up-to £1000 for rule-breaking

Scarlett Mew Jensen‚ a bronze-winning Team GB diver from Paris Olympics‚ thinks its too much: her black lab needs to run free. “If shes not able to get off the lead‚ shes not able to be a dog“ she explains

Local resident Ian Joliet who walks his golden retriever in Victoria Park isnt happy with the councils approach; he thinks parks should work for everyone – both dog lovers and those who dont like dogs

Weʼre not saying weʼre going to ban dog ownership‚ all weʼre saying is be responsible‚ its a responsibility

The council says they got many complaints about dangerous dogs and some high-profile incidents made them think about these rules. They closed their public feedback thing early nov-2024‚ and now theyre checking what people said before making final decisions