West Hove Hounds

25/08/2024

A few highlights from this week in the sun (and rain)

25/06/2024

It’s that time again….

19/04/2024

Happy Hounds in the Bluebells 💙

20/03/2024

Anyone fancy trying Crochet? Give it a go!

07/02/2024

Happy pups!! ❤️🐾

01/12/2023

30/11/2023

Thursday’s Jokers

27/11/2023

Monday funday

20/11/2023

Muddy Monday Fun

20/11/2023

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19/11/2023

This beautiful new romance 🥰

19/10/2023

Autumn vibes 🍂

03/10/2023

My two new best friends

24/09/2023

Can you relate?

22/09/2023

Some gorgeous dogs ❤️🐾

30/07/2023

11/06/2023

Our yearly reminder for keeping our pups safe

12/03/2023

Check out tanpetportraits on instagram, amazing pet portraits of your furry friends 🐾❤️🐶

06/03/2023

Check out these fab pet portraits

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090776976978

14/07/2022

Just a little reminder to be checking your pups for grass seeds. They are everywhere at the moment and although I do my best to remove them, please also check every day - especially paws ears & eyes 🐾

02/07/2022

Friends and dog lovers please read ….

Get involved A WEP is not an adopted planning document. It does not need a formal public consultation. However, SDNP recommend that there are great opportunities for organisations when they engage with communities who live, work and spend their leisure time within their land holdings. Find out about...

25/06/2022

Some important information on algae in fresh water at this time of year

https://www.animaljournal.co.uk/article/health/blue-green-algae-warning

23/06/2022

For your info

Waterhall is still open to off-lead dogs. Despite the councillors' vote against Brighton Dogwatch's petition, the site currently largely permits off-lead dogs and will do so for many months and hopefully years.

Thanks to the 1264 people who signed the online petition and the 281 others who signed paper and email versions. Also to everyone who has emailed us and contacted us on Facebook. Two councillors (Cllr Robert Nemeth and Cllr Samer Bagaeen) voted for our proposal, the remaining eight Labour and Green councillors against. Thanks also to all the council staff and councillors who have met and discussed this with us.

We asked to pause implementation due to the lack of discussion and consultation before decisions were made and the gaps this left in the decision-making process. We believe that there is a way to rewild Waterhall alongside off-lead dogs. This is important as Waterhall is such a popular dog-walking area - probably the top site in the area. The displacement of hundreds of dogs a day from Waterhall is already causing issues and conflicts at other sites across the city. This displacement also causes other ecological, environmental and safety harms that we have identified in our report.

We support the rewilding effort but want the public land shared. Most nature reserves permit off lead dogs (under control) as indeed the original Waterhall Nature Reserve did for decades. The South Downs National Park has told us that they don't believe there are dog-on-lead restrictions with criminal penalties on public rights of way anywhere else in their 3,300km network.

Both rewilding and off-lead dogs are possible. Knepp, often quoted as a case study for rewilding, allows dogs off lead under control in public access areas. Most others do too. We asked for an "and" not an "or".

Although the rewilding project has started, the council has not yet begun any legal work to ban off-lead dogs. So off-lead dogs and their humans can continue to enjoy the area

Conservation grazing cattle are now being used on site. However at any time, they will only be on a few acres - so over 90% of the site will still be available for off-lead dogs. Until September the cattle will be in a remote fenced area so safely diverting around them is easy. After this plans are still to be worked out, but it is likely they will be in more open areas without traditional fences separating them from dogs/walkers. You could easily be 10-20 minutes walk away, but there will be no traditional fences (the cattle will be contained using GPS electric collars).

Dogs, cows and people are not a good mix so we are planning to work with the council on signing the site so that walkers/dogs can avoid the small area where grazing will be happening. We are aware that some of the current signs have disappeared and may have been removed. This risks people coming on the cattle unprepared which is dangerous for dogs as well as people. We hope this will stop as we don't want any dogs to be injured.

It should be possible to walk looping the site without going near the cattle. You will know your dogs and if they can do this safely. If you do go near the cattle, signs (which we have worked together with the council on) also make clear that if you feel threatened by cattle, you should consider your own safety, let go of the lead and slowly retreat.

Waterhall will become an open-access site. This guarantees access which is good but does require that dogs are kept on a short lead to protect ground-nesting birds from 1st March to 31st July. There are no ground-nesting birds currently at Waterhall. There may be at some point in the next few years - but the neighbouring farmers' bird scarer is certainly keeping them away at the moment (and also scaring some dogs!)

The all-year-round dog on lead restrictions that the council has talked about in the press requires a long legal process which the council has not yet begun. During this, the public and other groups have to be consulted so if the council does try to go this route we will keep you informed. From the advice we have received, we think it's unlikely that these restrictions would be granted.

The council states that their experts have said dogs off-lead will make the rewilding project unviable. We've submitted a freedom of information request to see this advice and what alternatives have been considered. The council hasn't responded within the 20 working day rule. Hopefully, when this is received, we can understand the concerns more fully and try to find a way to share as virtually all other nature sites, SSSIs and other rewilding projects achieve.

Once again, thanks for your help, comments and for signing the petition. We know that the council understands the strength of feeling and how valued dogs are.

Please enjoy Waterhall while you can. Indeed the more who use it, the more it shows the need and it reduces the pressure on other areas from displacement. So please, use it or lose it!

20/06/2022

Please sign this petition otherwise your dog will not be allowed off lead citywide very soon!!

https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=827&RPID=54010784&HPID=54010784

Delivering 24 hour council services to residents, visitors and businesses in Brighton & Hove

18/06/2022

Please I beg you all to sign this, it will only take a couple of minutes and could mean the difference between your dogs getting the proper exercise they need and the green spaces of Brighton not being over run with displaced dog walkers from waterhall

https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgePetitionListDisplay.aspx?bcr=1

16/06/2022

Please help us and sign this petition

https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=827&RPID=53900704&HPID=53900704&

16/06/2022

Please please please sign this petition, if you own a dog or like to use the local areas for walking

https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgePetitionListDisplay.aspx?bcr=1

12/05/2022

Dream Big