Southwark HOWL want to thank everyone who has supported us by signing this petition.The VOICE OF THE PEOPLE has won the day! Southwark Council has realised they have made a mistake and had clearly underestimated the sense of outrage that their actions have generated. They have publicly apologised for having erected the signs without consultation and pledged to remove them immediately, they have agreed to keep in place the\'Dogs Must Be Kept Under Control\' byelaw and assured us that they will consult with park users in future if they want to make any changes or introduce new Dog Control Orders. We have won the battle but the war may still be afoot when, and if, that consultation process starts. THANK YOU SO MUCH...YOU ENSURED THAT SENSE PREVAILED! For those who have clicked onto this site as newcomers to our cause,or who may be lobbying their own councils and want inspiration from fellow fighters below is the wording of our petition, to which Southwark Council has agreed. On behalf of all the decent dogs and their law abiding owners in Southwark we ask Southwark Council to step back from imposing a borough wide blanket Dog Control Order that requires all dogs, regardless of size or temperament, to be kept on a lead except in a few designated \'dog exercise areas\'. To condemn all Southwark\'s dogs to be confined to leads for the rest of their lives will have very detrimental effects on the physical, psychological and social welfare of dogs and their owners alike. We also believe that it is bad law to curtail all freedom for the vast majority of well behaved dogs and owners for the sins of a few antisocial animals and their keepers who can and should be prosecuted using existing legislation. We urge the Council to be more proactive in penalising those who do not clear up after their dogs and who actively engage their dogs in vandalism. We ask that the existing byelaw remains in place which states that all dogs must be kept under control, which ensures that those who own unsociable animals are required to keep them restrained in public places. We consider the current allocation of dog-free areas and dogs-on-leads areas in our parks, as set out in the 1996 schedule,signed by the Secretary of State, to be fair and equitable and caters well for all park user groups and their needs. If the Council mandates that a new Dog Control Order is essential we ask that the less draconian one of \'Dogs Must be Placed On Leads When Ordered To Do So\' should be adopted and that if this Order is in the form of signage it is not imposed as a blanket policy but decided by local regular users on by a park by park, green space by green space, basis. We also request the removal of all the Dogs Must Be Kept On Leads signage that has been erected throughout the Southwark parks and green spaces prior to the byelaws being changed and prior to public consultation. If you have not already signed our written petition and support our request please add your name below and we will present this petition to Southwark\'s Executive Committee.

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