Terrier racing: Concerns raised over future of Yorkshire tradition due to updated dog laws

Councillors questioned whether orders that will see dog owners fined for letting their pet off a lead on playing fields and other public spaces could effectively make dog races at events like Baildon Carnival or Keighley Show illegal.

But officers assured them that Council wardens would be “pragmatic” when enforcing the rules.

Members of Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee discussed proposals to extend an existing Public Space Protection Order aimed at dog owners for a further three years. The order means owners can be fined for failing to pick up dog waste or letting their pets off leads in parks, cemeteries and sports fields.

A similar order has been in place for several years, but can legally only run for three years. The current order runs out in May, so the committee had been asked to extend it. New amendments to the original order would mean that dog walkers would now need to prove they had a dog poo bag or other means of clearing up waste if pressed by wardens.

Councillor Russell Brown questioned how strict the part of the order banning dogs being loosed from their leads would be.

He said: “What about terrier racing? It is something people like to see at agricultural shows. That would be dogs racing when they are not on leads.”

Coun Mike Pollard said he was involved in Baildon Carnival, held on and around playing fields, and pointed out that terrier races have taken place at the event in the past.

Jeff Lawrence, an environmental health officer, said: “I understand the concern, and we don’t want to unwittingly cause something like that to operate illegally.

“We’re very pragmatic, we don’t go out to enforce things just because we like doing it. If organisers of these events contact us we can have a conversation and it will probably mean we won’t take any action.” Members were told that some changes had been made to the original order circulated to the committee last week.

The original text said the order would make it an offence to fail to produce a “black bag” that could be used to pick up dog faeces.

Members were told this wording would be changed so they would instead need to produce “a means to pick up dog faeces” when asked to by wardens.

This would allow dog walkers to carry alternatives to a black bag. Legal adviser Bob Power said: “Some dog bags could be green.”

Members voted to approve the extended order.

Terrier racing is popular at country fares and fetes across the country with many Facebook groups set up to support the events.

Racing is said to be open to all terriers providing they can fit inside the trap with the door closed.

The first two dogs that pass through the hole in the bales in each heat go through to the final. There are open dog race which are open to other breeds.