When did dogs stop being free to roam in the uk?

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wildflower12345678@reddit

I remember this in tge 70s and 80s, so I think it possibly stopped in the 90s

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AddictedToRugs@reddit

This wasn't really a thing by the 80s. It went out with white dog poo (coincidence?).

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copypastespecialist@reddit

Shitter areas it was still a thing

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lxgrf@reddit

Yes, coincidence. The white dog poo was caused by very low grade dog food that used a lot of bonemeal as a filler.

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AddictedToRugs@reddit

Seems like both things have bad owners as a causal link, so it's not really a coincidence.

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Ahahaha I remember white dog shit. It was caused by an ingredient in dry dog food I think, but I could be wrong. Anyway, it made dog turds shiny white. It looked like someone had flame thrown a turn and only ash was left lol. Ah what a time to be alive ahaha

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mexicocaro@reddit

Haha you showing your age! In the 80’s and before when dogs shat everywhere and owners just thought it was fine to leave it where they what, the 💩 would turn white because of the content of the dog food they ate. You don’t really see it these days. Back in the day we didn’t have poo bag trees not sure what is worse, dog 💩 on your shoes or dog 💩 in the trees.

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2AMarvin@reddit

How old are you? I'm over 60 and don't remember any free roaming dogs when I was a kid. We did have dogs, they weren't allowed out by themselves.

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MetalRocksMe_@reddit (OP)

I grew up in the 90’s and there were always dogs roaming around where I lived. Me And my twin used to be wary of certain streets because of vicious dogs that hung around them. Maybe I’m wrong but I’m just going off the experience I had.

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BibbleBeans@reddit

This sounds like you just live in a (no offence) shit area Saying this as someone else from the 90’s who definitely did not see strays or even owned dogs just free roaming.

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copypastespecialist@reddit

I lived in a shit area and things the case. No offence taken, I had no part in where I was born or the prosperity of my parents. Don’t worry about upsetting people.

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LittleSadRufus@reddit

Yes 1980s/1990s and plenty of dogs roamed the streets, and some followed children into school and it was not a rare occurrence. I lived in a fairly affluent town too.

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Lessarocks@reddit

I think it very much depends on where you live or have lived. When I was growing up in the sixties and seventies in a village in a deprived area of Scotland, there were tons of dogs just wandering around. I was attacked twice. Since moving, it’s rare for me to see dogs just allowed to wander like that.

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2AMarvin@reddit

That's a fair point. I grew up in Surrey, not a wealthy part of it but far from deprived. So I suppose the question should have been "when and where?" rather than just "When?".

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copypastespecialist@reddit

80s early 90s old mining village sunderland there were plenty and us kids would just take them on adventures for the day. They went away about the same time as white dog shit.

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spaceshipcommander@reddit

It was common in the north of England too. My mother had a dog in the late as a chlid 70s that used to walk itself to her grandmothers for lunch and then come home. There used to be an old bloke who would bring his dog to the pub and then just leave it there while he went off and did his shopping and then just get it on the way back. Sometimes the pub would shut for lunch and the dog just sat in the windowsill until it opened back up in the evening and he came and got it. Even now a lot of dogs don't bother with leads or anything. My dog only goes on a lead if I'm walking on the road.

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EugeneHartke@reddit

I remember free roaming dogs growing up in the 80s. There was a pit bull that often attacked kids on the to school. And most memorably Benji the Bummer Dog who would mount kids and leave them covered in jizz. I was only his victim once.

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Markies_Myth@reddit

> Benji the Bummer Dog who would mount kids and leave them covered in jizz. I was only his victim once. Christ alive.

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cari-strat@reddit

I can only echo your sentiments. What a day to be on the internet.

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running_on_fumes25@reddit

The 28th April 2025 will live on

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ARobertNotABob@reddit

We had some roaming dogs when I was a lad (similar age) but I've often since wondered if they were merely "latch-dogs" of the day.

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chilli_con_camera@reddit

I'm not quite as old as you, I remember the dog catcher coming for strays on the estate where I grew up

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ThatGothGuyUK@reddit

I'm older lol

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PatTheCatMcDonald@reddit

When sheep farmers acquired firearms. So quite a long time ago really.

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

They never really were in my experience unless in rural areas and those tended to be livestock safe farm dogs. There used to be the local neglected dog - my area had a very bright collie who learnt to use traffic lights. He was eventually seized and PTS because his paws were so damaged. The other was a golden retriever who was sweet but great at escaping. Eventually he was PTS too as kept humping school children. That was an area of a mid-size town. My family did use to let the dog out on own for 5 min run to little wooded bit for pee and back. She was really good. Poo bags and more social orientated pet owning put paid to that type of thing. She also go hit by car though my Dad was with her in a storm. She survived but hurt. And she never went out again alone. So less working dogs (alarms and ring cameras rather than a GSD), better pet keeping and too high a risk.

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fatveg@reddit

What's PTS and GSD?

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

GSD - German shepherd dog PTS - put to sleep/behavioural euthanasia for the golden and that collie should have been seized and rehomed not killed.

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fatveg@reddit

Growing up on a council estate in the 70s people (including us) would just let their dogs out and let them walk themselves. When we were playing dogs would walk past us and come and say hello and be petted. Fond memories.

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douggieball1312@reddit

Still very common in continental Europe (especially the Mediterranean countries) to see dogs walk off lead in the streets with their owners. And they all seem pretty chilled out so I'm guessing it's to do with proper socialisation from an early age. Most of the dog attacks in this country seem to be down to badly-socialised pandemic pups stuck indoors during lockdown. Weirdest thing was seeing Americans (who pretty much never let their dogs go off-leash outside of their own yards or have any dog-friendly restaurants) looking so confused and weirded-out looking at dogs walking nonchalantly in the streets in Venice without leashes.

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Neddlings55@reddit

They arent talking about walking dogs off lead, but about allowing dogs to wander \[stray\] with no owner. Doing what they like. Shitting where they like. Attacking what they like.

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douggieball1312@reddit

Oh right, I don't believe that's ever been an acceptable thing in this country. Not in the lifetime of anyone alive today anyway. Stray dogs that wander into peoples' property would have either been locked up or shot.

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fatveg@reddit

Growing up on a council estate in the 70s people (including us) would just let their dogs out and let them walk themselves. When we were playing dogs would walk past us and come and say hello and be petted. Fond memories.

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Round_Engineer8047@reddit

I remember this from a childhood that spanned the '70s and '80s. However, I don't know anything about the backgrounds of the respondents who have no recollection of such phenomena. The housing estate on which I spent my formative years was neither salubrious nor a sinkhole of despair. There was a pack that ran wild around the neighborhood after a family who were lacking in personal responsibility and knowledge of animal welfare alowed their dogs to breed. They couldn't feed them or contain them in their household so they turned them loose. Eventually, I think they were rounded up and destroyed by a council department tasked with that endeavour. The dogs I mean, not the family who assisted in their creation. The dogs had off-white coats with irregular dark patches. In my youthful innocence, I was enchanted by them and saw them as the 101 Dalmatians. My father gruffly chided me for my fanciful thoughts and said "They're scrubbers. That family who live on the avenue are scrubber an' all". It wasnt the first or last occasion where I have felt the heat of embarassment and compelled to reevaluate my artless candour.

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GrumpyOldFart74@reddit

I’m surprised by the number of people around my age (51) who don’t remember / didn’t experience this. I definitely remember “stray dogs” being a thing and being warned by my parents to keep well away from them. We didn’t live in a particularly deprived area (quite a nice part of a deprived town, if that makes sense) but there were even occasionally “packs” that definitely had people concerned

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MetalRocksMe_@reddit (OP)

I was also warned.

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ThatGothGuyUK@reddit

It's been the case for several decades but it's not always really been applied, the highway code rule 56 means you have to keep them under control on roads and footpaths, this is covered in Law by the Road Traffic Act 1988, section 27. Public and private property are covered by Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, sections 106 and 107 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The Countryside Code in England and Wales specifies that dogs must be on a lead between March 1 and July 31 when using open access land. Local councils can and do use Public Spaces Protection Orders to make you keep them on leashes on council property.

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MetalRocksMe_@reddit (OP)

Ah ok, I was born in 87 so I guess the implementation was underway as I was coming up.

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Rodolpho55@reddit

it was the same with kids, you let them out in the morning and they came back at tea time. You never really see dogs roaming or 5 year olds walking to school on their own.

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ShinyHeadedCook@reddit

Given there's constant lost dogs on my local FB group, I don't think they have

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Lopsided_Rush3935@reddit

I think there are just way more dogs in the past 10 years. Nowadays, it seems like every other house has a dog. It's really quite fucked for people with phobias and even people who are just hesitant around them. Not only are they seemingly everywhere now, but they're increasingly being allowed into shops, cafes, restaurants etc.

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ShinyHeadedCook@reddit

As with all phobias and triggers, it's not everyone else's problem

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Lopsided_Rush3935@reddit

Mate, we ban dogs from beaches in the summer for a reason. Suffice to say, I didn't even state that it was their problem. Although - as responsible dog owners - it should 100% be a consideration of theirs.

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RoyofBungay@reddit

Most beaches here ban dogs during the summer months. Fair enough, wouldn't want kids picking up turds whilst they are playing on the beach.

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Lopsided_Rush3935@reddit

Turds, bites, general overealousness or aggression... It's why they're banned from most playgrounds, as well.

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Kcufasu@reddit

No idea, but I'm awfully glad we don't have strays and do have (in general) good owners. It's always so heartbreaking to see dogs just roaming and often suffering. Or those that are owned in many countries just allowed to run at anyone and attack

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MetalRocksMe_@reddit (OP)

It is sad, it would upset me as a kid.

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AF_II@reddit

really surprised at people saying this happened in 'small villages'. Round my way landowners would merrily shoot any dog that crossed their fields and claim 'bothering my sheep' as justification. Stray dogs have never been strictly 'legal' - hence the victorians rounding up tens of thousands of them, but they became less of a threat once we eradicated rabies.

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3a5ty@reddit

Definitely not a thing from 90s onwards.

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MetalRocksMe_@reddit (OP)

Well I guess not everyone gets to grow up in nice affluent areas.

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Key_Milk_9222@reddit

I'm 47 and if a stray dog got into the school grounds all the kids would run to the windows shouting because it was such a rare occurrence.

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Ok-Attorney3272@reddit

During the 1900s there was a democratic election held between all animals on the island. Unfortunately the cats won a super majority. With this immense power they’ve overthrown the state and planted themselves as a dictatorship. This led to the collapse of nomadic hounds resulting in what we have today.

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lxgrf@reddit

Well, when was your childhood? I don't remember that growing up in the 90s.

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MetalRocksMe_@reddit (OP)

I did grow up in the ‘90’s too and did see that. I guess it depends on where we grew up.

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Imaginary_Will_9479@reddit

Council estates, it was completely normal for people to just let their dogs out instead of walking them. I remember it in the 90s too.

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True-Register-9403@reddit

I remember this still being a thing as a kid - late 80's early 90's in Liverpool. It got so bad there were packs of dogs going around together stopping people leaving the house. Police came out and shot some of them, abs it was in the Liverpool echo for a while...

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Odd_Jellyfish_1053@reddit

Yeah I remember this, stayed in a wee village and dogs just roamed about. As other guy said traffic growth put a stop to it, this was early to mid 70's.

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Airborne_Stingray@reddit

Did you grow up in India?

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Ulfgeirr88@reddit

I asked my Mum and Step Dad to, but they don't recall it being a thing. I was born late 80s, and the only time I saw free roaming dogs, they were very rare strays or an escapee from someone's garden/home. If it was a thing, I would be comfortable in saying it was rare and nowhere near the level it appears to be in the US, for example

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Traditional-Ruin2860@reddit

Only ever seen this on council estates

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Neddlings55@reddit

About 50 years ago when animal legislation started being introduced. The 1971 Animals Act made owners liable for the first time, if their dog bit someone.

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non-hyphenated_@reddit

I'm 52 and have zero recollection of this.

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DizzyMine4964@reddit

As traffic got heavier. I remember street dogs in the 1960s, all male. They would wander round till their families came home. The dogs were ALWAYS mounting each other!

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