Dog fouling and controlling dogs in public places

Carmarthenshire is a dog-friendly county with a selection of walks and miles of golden, sandy beaches to enjoy with your four-legged friends. The majority of dog owners act responsibly by cleaning up after their pets and keeping them under control in public places.

However, we do get complaints of dog fouling and of nuisance behaviour from dogs that are not under proper control.

Public consultation showed that 98% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with an order for owners to clean up after their dogs; 89% agreed or strongly agreed with an order to put dogs on leads if directed to do so and 87% agreed or strongly agreed with an order to exclude dogs from children’s play areas.

Extending of the Carmarthenshire County Council (Dog Control) Public Spaces Protection Order 2016

The Carmarthenshire County Council (Dog Control) Public Spaces Protection Order 2016 came in to force on the 1st July 2016. It was made for a period of 3 years. The order has since been extended up until 1st July 2025.

The order includes:

• Cleaning up after your dog 
• Dogs on lead by direction
• Dog exclusion

Exemptions

There are some exemptions for people with disabilities and for working dogs.

Fines

If you fail to comply with the PSPO you are committing a criminal offence and can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 10 days. The maximum fine if prosecuted in the magistrates court is £1,000.

Existing byelaws

Existing byelaws introducing seasonal dog exclusions (from May 1 to September 30) at Cefn Sidan and Llansteffan beaches and the byelaw requiring dogs to be kept on leads at all times on Llansteffan Green remain in force.