Local Authority Considers New Cemetery Regulations to Address Dog Fouling

A local council plans to review its management regulations for cemeteries, aiming to prevent dog fouling and other inappropriate conduct by pet owners. During a full council meeting held on Thursday, elected officials in the Borders region were informed of increasing grievances regarding waste on gravesites and animals pursuing balls. Robin Tatler, the representative for the Tweeddale East ward, stated that such actions did not “respect the significance of these spaces to families where their loved ones are interred”. He urged dog owners to keep their animals leashed, and the councillors supported his suggestions for a report exploring potential solutions to the problem. Mr. Tatler indicated that he did not intend to prohibit anyone from accessing graveyards, but acknowledged that action was necessary. “We don’t want to refuse access to cemeteries to anybody at all,” he stated. He continued, “There are people who obviously want to visit the cemeteries to visit graves and they want to take their pet with them.” He added, “The issue is that unfortunately there is a minority of people who are allowing their dogs off the lead to do things that they shouldn’t be doing in a cemetery.” He commented that this situation was making the experience a “lot worse” for other visitors. Mr. Tatler formally proposed a motion to investigate the various options for resolving the issue. He further explained, “This is about trying to look at the management rules for these public spaces and encouraging people who do have dogs to have them on a lead and behave responsibly with the dog.” A subsequent report will be presented at a future time to examine potential regulations the council could implement.