Dog Registration

Only dogs registered with the Secretaries and wearing their specially issued tags are allowed in the gardens.  Dogs are only permitted in the gardens in the charge of the owner or their appointee who must be able to exercise effective control of the dog at all times.

Complete registration form online or in person via Sandra Thomson at Whitelaw Wells .

DOG REGISTRATION FORM (ONLY ONE DOG PER FORM)

Code of Conduct for Dog Owners 

• Only Dogs registered with Whitelaw Wells, wearing a collar and owner identification in accordance with the Control of Dogs Order 1992, together with their specially issued tags may be brought into the gardens.

• Dogs may only be brought into the gardens in the charge of the dog owner or their appointee.

• Dog owners must ensure that their appointees, such as household members, pet sitters, or dog walkers, are aware of and understand this Code and will comply with it. 

• Dog owners and their appointees must ensure that their dogs are kept under effective control, in line with the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the Act”).

• Dogs should either be kept on a lead, or kept in sight at all times, with the owner or appointee aware of what it is doing and confident it will return promptly on command.

• Dog owners and their appointees must ensure that their dog does not impede the enjoyment of the gardens for others.  In particular, any dog, regardless of its breed, can cause apprehension, alarm, or even injury if it is not kept under control in accordance with the Act.  This does not necessarily involve aggressive behaviour, but could involve running up to, approaching, barking at, or jumping at other people, children or other dogs.  What may seem like playful, friendly behaviour to a dog owner can be alarming or cause annoyance to another.

• Dog owners or their appointees must pick up faeces of their dogs immediately, in line with the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003.  Bags and bins are provided for this purpose.

• Dog owners must ensure that their dogs are fully inoculated and regularly wormed before they bring them into the gardens.

• Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times in all gardens between the hours of sunset and sunrise.  Those walking dogs at night must carry a torch to ensure that faeces can be located and picked up.

• Dog owners and their appointees must ensure that their dogs do not enter shrubberies or flowerbeds and that they do not cause damage to the lawns.

• Dog owners must abide by any restriction placed on their use of the gardens by the Gardens Management Committee from time to time.

• Dog owners must respect the Dog Convenor and must abide by any directive made by the Dogs Convenor.

Canine Dispute Resolution Procedure

Complaints regarding breaches of the Order or the Act should be directed to the Street Enforcement Officer at the City of Edinburgh Council (streetenforcement@edinburgh.gov.uk; Tel: 0131 529 3030).

Complaints regarding any dog in breach of the Code should be addressed to the Dog Convenor c/o Whitelaw Wells or by e-mail (ghaleigh@gmail.com).

1. Complainant should make written submission to the Dog Convenor detailing incident (date, time, location and parties) for review by the Dog Convenor.  If the Respondent is not identified at the time of the incident the Complainant should attempt to view and report the Dog Badge number, or otherwise provide information to enable identification of the Respondent.
2. Respondent is contacted by Dog Convenor to provide own written submission of the incident.
3. If Respondent’s and Complainant’s version are factually consistent and those facts establish that the Respondent has not adhered to the Code of Conduct for Dog Owners then an appropriate sanction will be applied to the Dog Owner.  The Dog Owner and their appointee must adhere to the terms of the sanction when the dog is in any of the gardens.
4. If Respondent’s and Complainant’s version are not factually consistent then a mediation between the parties and the Dog Convenor may be arranged to achieve resolution.
5. If mediation does not result in agreement on the circumstances, then the Dog Convenor to determine the facts of the incident and if they determine a breach of the Code the Dog Convenor to decide on the appropriate sanction.
6. If aggrieved by the Dog Convenor determination then either party may appeal in writing to the Gardens Management Committee (“GMC”) with their written arguments and evidence.  The Dog Convenor will submit their report to the GMC.
7. The decision by the GMC will be final and binding

I understand my obligation as a dog owner pursuant to, inter alia, the Control of Dogs Order 1992 / 901 (“the Order”) and The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the Act”) and have read and understood the Code of Conduct for Dog Owners (“the Code”) and the Canine Dispute Resolution Procedure (“the Procedure”) and agree to abide by the Code and the Dispute Procedure.  I confirm anyone appointed by me to accompany my dog in the gardens will be appraised by me of the obligation pursuant to the Order, the Act, the Code and the Procedure and will abide by them at all times when taking my dog into the gardens.

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Signature                                                                                          Date

TENANTED PROPERTIES

I, as owner of the property at which the dog is registered I hereby consent to the application to register the dog and undertake to ensure that the dog owner resident in my property will abide by the Order, the Act and the Code of Conduct.

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