Renfrewshire Council

Your responsibilities as a dog owner

Dog fouling is one of the key issues that affects the cleanliness of our streets and public places.

It's an offence to not clean up after your dog if it fouls in any public place, or on private land without the owner's consent.

The responsibility to clear up any waste is on the person in charge of the dog and not just the owner.

If your dog fouls in a public space, you must clean up its waste by putting it in a plastic bag and dumping the bag in a dog waste bin or any outdoor public litter bin.

If you are in charge of a dog in public and don't pick up the dog's mess and dispose of it properly, you can be fined £80.

What you can do

You can:

• make sure you always have a bag with you when you take your dog for a walk
• use any public bin to dispose of dog waste
• report a stray dog by calling us on 0300 300 0380
• make sure your dog is microchipped if they are over 8 weeks old and has a collar and name tag.

Never challenge anyone aggressively about dog fouling or dog ownership.

If you witness irresponsible dog owners who fail to pick up their dog's fouling or are not in control of their dogs, please let our animal wardens know, in confidence, providing as much detail as possible.

Call us on 0300 300 0380 or email wardens.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

What to do about dangerous or illegal dogs

Take the Lead

The Take the Lead campaign is about encouraging responsible dog ownership and working together to reduce dog fouling and anti-social behaviour across Renfrewshire.

Sign up for the Responsible Dog Owners Pledge

As a thank you for becoming a Take the Lead ambassador, we'll give you a free branded lead, a light for night-time walks and a dog poo bag dispenser.

Email us at litterpicks@renfrewshire.gov.uk once you've signed up to the pledge to get your free Take the Lead goodies.

In return, we ask you to: 

• use your Take the Lead goodies as much as possible when walking your dog
• always carry dog bags and clean up after your dog and dispose of the bag in a bin
• encourage anyone else who walks your dog to clean up after them and dispose of the bag in a bin
• give a bag to a fellow dog owner if they don't have one with them
• always keep your dog on a lead in public places as not everyone is comfortable around dogs.