Walking Your Dog In East Devon

Dog walking in East Devon                                                          dog_walking_pic.gif

East Devon is a beautiful area with many public footpaths, parks and areas of common land where you can walk your dog.
Woodbury Common is particularly popular with dog walkers as once away from the car park and roads, there are many acres of open land that dogs can explore with their owners.  Also the Coastal path provides a spectacular walk and views, although you may want to keep your dog on a lead along here as the many rabbits can entice an excited dog far to close to the cliffs!  In all towns there are areas of open space or park where well behaved dogs are welcome, although in some areas you may need to keep your dog on a lead.
From October to May you may walk you dog freely on the beaches.

Clean up after your dog!

Unfortunately a few careless or thoughless dog owners can cause a great deal of annoyance and distaste to all members of the public by not clearing up the mess their dogs can leave behind. Dog faeces, quite apart from being unpleasant, can present a serious health hazard, particularly to young children.

Please train your dog to go only at home.  Set aside one corner of your garden for your dog and train him to to use it always.  Droppings can be disposed of in a purpose-dug hole, covering each time with a little soil, or flushed down the toilet.  Those without gardens should have a tray of fuller’s earth for their pet at home.

When walking your dog always carry a bag.  Faeces should be placed in a dog wastebin or taken home.  If this is not possible, double wrap them in two plastic bags and place them in a litter bin.

Dogs and the law

Owners must clear up after their dogs on all land (including beaches) where the public have access, apart from Forestry Commission Land where their own rules will apply.

In East Devon there are a number of other restrictions, for example, dogs may be banned from certain lands (e.g beaches and children’s play areas) and in other areas dogs need to be kept on their leads.  In public places you are not allowed to be in control of more than six dogs at any time.

You are not allowed to walk your dog on the main beaches in East Devon between 1st May and 30th September. You can PDF file download a leaflet (215KB - 22 August 2011 - PDF Help) showing the dog ban areas, or follow the links on the right on this page.

To view further information on restrictions visit the Dog Control page.

Every dog while on a highway or in a place of public resort must wear a collar with the owners name and address inscribed upon it or on a plate or badge attached to it.

Page last updated on 25 November 2011