I was told the other day that dogs must be kept on leads on a public footpath. I hadn't heard of this before, but it does appear to be true. They must either be kept on a 2 meter lead or walk to heel. I was wondering how many of you follow these rules. I have rarely seen a dog on a lead on a quiet footpath unless there were other dogs approaching.

I think the rule is that they have to be under control, not necessarily on a lead. All areas can have their own bylaws, of course. I've never seen a 2-metre lead!

I guess the 2 metre thing came about because that is the width you can walk on a footpath. people often assume 'Public footpath' means they can wander at will across private land & let their dog romp about. this is not the case. The ROW simply gives you permission to cross a piece of land on the given path. You do not have a right to stand about, picnic or vary from the course of the path. therefore the dog/child or whatever shouldn't leave the route of the path & should be under full control.