Kelpie's Law
Kelpie's Law
What is Kelpie's Law?
Discover the vision and purpose behind Kelpie’s Law and the changes we’re campaigning to achieve.
Safer parks.Clearer responsibilities.
Kelpie's Law is calling for national minimum safety standards to help protect dogs from preventable dangers in public parks and green spaces.
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Currently, safety arrangements can vary between locations, with different approaches to fencing, entrances, inspections and risk assessments.
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The campaign seeks a clearer, more consistent approach, particularly where parks border busy roads, railway lines, bodies of water or other significant hazards.
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The aim isn't to make every park fully enclosed or eliminate every possible risk. It's to ensure foreseeable dangers are properly assessed and proportionate safety measures are put in place.
Safer Boundaries & Entrances
Parks should have appropriate safeguards where escape routes lead towards significant hazards. This could include secure fencing, safer gate designs and measures to reduce the risk of dogs reaching nearby roads.
The Proposed Standards
Risk Assessments & Prevention
Those responsible for managing parks should assess foreseeable risks, identify particularly dangerous locations and take reasonable, proportionate steps to reduce the likelihood of serious incidents.
Inspections & Accountability
Safety measures should be regularly inspected and maintained, with clear procedures for reporting hazards, completing repairs and documenting how identified risks have been addressed.
This could mean improving a dangerous entrance, repairing damaged fencing, introducing additional safeguards near a busy road or ensuring identified hazards are addressed before an accident occurs.
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The focus is on reasonable, achievable improvements that could help prevent avoidable tragedies.
Practical changes, not impossible expectations.
Every park is different. A small enclosed green space does not face the same risks as a large public park bordering a busy road.
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Kelpie's Law proposes a risk-based approach, where the level of protection reflects the seriousness of the hazards present.
Turning the proposal into change.
Kelpie's Law is currently an independent campaign, not an existing piece of legislation.
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The goal is to secure meaningful national safety standards through the most effective available mechanism, whether that involves legislation, statutory guidance or another enforceable framework.
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The campaign is gathering public experiences, developing an evidence base and seeking engagement with policymakers, legal organisations and animal welfare bodies.
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The priority is achieving practical improvements that make public spaces safer for dogs.
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