Dogs have been one of the recurring subjects discussed by CPUG over the years. Clissold Park is used by many dog walkers, but dogs also share the park with children, runners, wildlife, the park’s animals and people who may be uncomfortable around them.

CPUG’s role has been to provide a forum where different views can be heard, raise concerns with Hackney Council and encourage responsible use of the park. The surviving records show periods when dogs became a particularly prominent issue, including discussions about enforcement, a CPUG consultation and a special public meeting devoted to dogs.

Hackney Council manages Clissold Park and is responsible for rules and enforcement relating to dogs. CPUG does not set or enforce these rules.

Sharing the park

By 2009, concerns about dogs had become a significant subject at CPUG meetings.

At a public meeting in May that year, around 40 park users introduced themselves as part of a discussion about dogs. Concerns included how rules should be enforced and how different groups could share the park.

CPUG stressed the limits of its own authority and the Council’s responsibility for enforcement. Members subsequently met a Council Parks Development Officer and continued discussions about responsible dog ownership, education and training.

Consulting park users

Dogs returned to the agenda during the restoration of Clissold Park and House.

In 2011 CPUG carried out a consultation specifically about sharing the park with dogs. Rather than simply adopting an initial position, the group used the responses to reconsider its proposed approach.

The consultation is an example of CPUG acting as a forum between people with different experiences of the park. Dog owners were an important group of park users, but the discussion also needed to consider children, other visitors and the wider use of shared spaces.

Encouraging responsible dog ownership

In 2013 CPUG worked with park management and the Council’s enforcement team on the Lead by Example campaign.

The initiative encouraged responsible dog ownership through information rather than treating enforcement as the only response. A leaflet and posters were produced, with the responsible ownership leaflet reported as launched in October 2013.

The surviving records establish CPUG’s contribution to the campaign, but do not provide evidence that it resulted in a measurable reduction in dog-related incidents.

Responding to a fatal dog attack

Dogs became an especially serious issue in 2014 following a fatal attack involving a dog in the park.

The incident prompted a community response and renewed concern about safety and responsible behaviour. Surviving material in the CPUG archive records the response to the incident, although the evidence does not establish CPUG as the author or organiser of the community appeal that followed.

The episode formed part of the context for further discussion about dogs and how the park should be shared safely.

A special meeting about dogs

In March 2015 CPUG held a special meeting devoted to dog-related issues.

Bringing the subject into a dedicated meeting allowed different experiences and concerns to be discussed together rather than treating dogs as a single straightforward problem.

The meeting continued a pattern visible in the earlier records: CPUG providing a public forum for discussion while recognising that decisions about rules, enforcement and management ultimately rested with Hackney Council.

Dogs and the wider park

Questions about dogs overlap with many other areas of CPUG’s work.

They include how paths and open spaces are shared, the relationship between dogs and wildlife, the safety and welfare of the animals kept in the park, children’s play areas and the needs of people who may be nervous around dogs.

This is one reason the issue has returned to CPUG meetings at different times. Discussions about dogs are rarely only about dogs: they are also about how a busy public park can accommodate people using the same space in different ways.

A continuing part of our work

The surviving records do not tell a simple story of a single campaign followed by a permanent solution.

Instead, they show CPUG responding when concerns became particularly significant, consulting park users, working with park management on responsible ownership and creating opportunities for people with different perspectives to be heard.

Dogs continue to be part of everyday life in Clissold Park, and issues relating to dogs can still be raised through CPUG when they affect people’s experience of the park.