If necessary, I’m sure the gardens can have wardens on these occassions to make sure all goes well.

I would suggest that this rule needs to explicitly include the courtyard in its prohibition – many people eat here, and it would be unacceptable for dogs to be allowed into this environment. Even where responsible owners/handlers deal with their dog’s faeces, few seem to worry about them urinating. Dog urine running under & between the tables in the courtyard would definitely stop me from using the area.

If/when the maize maze is set up (and other areas where children are encouraged to play – and even crawl on the grass), this needs to be a dog-free area – even if this upset those families who have both children and dogs.

When I first noted that dogs would not be allowed in buildings, I wondered if you would be providing hooks etc at entrances to (for example) the glasshouse. From this rule, I assume you will not be providing such fastenings, as handlers will not be able to tie up their charges while they go in to any building…even for a short time to get a cuppa or use facilities such as toilets? For couples/families etc, I assume this is workable, as one person would simply have to stay outside with the dog at any one time – perhaps this implication for individuals could be made more explicit, as a sole handler is effectively unable to use or visit any of the buildings, including toilet facilities.

I cannot think of any toilet facilities which would be available to a sole handler – perhaps this needs clarification / acknowledgment?

I do not really understand the section in brackets – especially the ‘if possible’ element as I am unsure which bit is potentially not possible, and who decides that. Surely dogs are either allowed to be on extended leads or they are not? I have observed dogs on such long leads that they cannot possibly be prevented by their handlers from walking on a flowerbed as opposed to an adjacent path, etc.

By way of illustration – consider a dog on a long lead in the walled garden….. how are they to be kept to the paths?

Perhaps the answer is for dogs to be kept on short leads throughout – or perhaps for short leads to be obligatory in areas such as the tea gardens, walled garden, maize (when in operation) and when near the water elements where ducks etc would be disturbed?

I am not necessarily objecting to this ‘rule’, merely asking for clarification.

The phrase ‘Please do not take your dog off the lead at any time’ is far too weak – it needs to say ‘If you take your dog off a lead at any time, you will be required to leave the Gardens immediately and there will be no refund of your party’s entrance fees’

picture of salmonella bacteria

2.
Just one gram of dog waste can contain as many as 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, which can seep into groundwater and spread salmonella and giardia. This poses a hazard to your pets, your family, and your landscape.

3.
Your lawn mower does not chop it up and make it go away. In fact, it makes it worse by spreading it around your yard in smaller pieces where you, your children, and your pets continue to step in it and then bring it into your home.

4.
Dog fecal matter is a major contributor to storm water pollution. One out of three households have at least one dog, and all that dog poop left out in the rain eventually liquifies and ends up in our storm drains, which in most metropolitan areas means it also ends up in our lakes and streams.

5.
Nearly 20 years ago the EPA classified dog waste as a dangerous pollutant in the same category as toxic chemicals and oil. Not really a great thing to leave in your back yard.

6.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirms that hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms and Salmonella can be spread by contact with infected dog waste. When dog poop is left to decay, after a long time (it can take over one year for dog waste to decompose) the poop may “disappear,” but the eggs from these parasites can linger for years in the soil – leaving your family and your pets vulnerable to serious infection
Please pas this information on to whoever had this bright idea

Leave the Poop-Scooping to the Pros

Dog waste is an environmental pollutant. In 1991, it was labeled a non-point source pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), placing it in the same category as herbicides and insecticides; oil, grease and toxic chemicals; and acid drainage from abandoned mines.
Far from Fertilizer
Woof-woof waste does not a good fertilizer make. It is actually toxic to your lawn, causing burns and unsightly discoloring.

Beyond your grass, it has been estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, which are known to cause cramps, diarrhea, intestinal illness, and serious kidney disorders in humans. EPA even estimates that two or three days’ worth of droppings from a population of about 100 dogs would contribute enough bacteria to temporarily close a bay, and all watershed areas within 20 miles of it, to swimming and shell fishing
Whoever dreamed this up needs to know what health risks dogs are to the plants in the botanic garden of wales !
Even grater the danger dog poo dose to humans !