Petition

Make it illegal to walk dogs in dangerously hot weather in the UK

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Introduce legislation making it illegal to walk dogs in dangerously hot weather when temperatures or hot pavements create a serious risk of heatstroke, burns, injury or death.

Dogs are vulnerable to heatstroke and can suffer serious injury or death in extreme heat, causing avoidable suffering.
This petition is not asking for a blanket ban on all dog walking in warm weather. It asks the Government to define “dangerously hot weather” using veterinary guidance, including both air temperature and pavement surface temperature.

The goal is to strengthen enforcement under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 by explicitly recognising knowingly walking dogs in dangerous heat as animal neglect or cruelty.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Make it illegal to walk dogs during extreme heat to prevent suffering and death.
Make it illegal to walk dogs during extreme heat to prevent suffering and death.

Timeline

21 Jun 2026 Petition opened for signatures
14 Jul 2026 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 14 Jul 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.