The University of Exeter grounds and estate are private property. We are, however, currently pleased to be able to grant the public permitted access.
This arrangement is extended to permit visitors to bring their dogs with them onto campus. This is on the clear understanding that:
- Dogs are kept on leads in all areas on campus
- Owners remove any mess the dogs may create when visiting our campuses
The open spaces that the University maintains have National Botanic Garden status and are recognised as amongst the highest quality of any UK university. They remain primarily a resource for students and staff but we are happy to share these with visitors and locals who respect the grounds and the access restrictions.
Some of our students are nervous around dogs. There is extensive biodiversity on campus and dogs off leads, even when well trained, have potential to disrupt wildlife.
It is also well established that there is a link between dog faeces and infections such as Toxicara, which can lead to blindness.
The University will be promoting, in conjunction with Keep Britain Tidy and Dog’s Trust the ‘Be a Scooperhero’ campaign to recognise those who already lift, bag and bin dog faeces and encourage others to appreciate the impact if they do not.
The University can ban dog owners from its campuses and report regular offenders to the Local Authority who can issue fines. We hope this will continue to be a rare occurrence. We do, however, reserve the right to ban all dogs from campus if we feel risks are not managed.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind all dog owners who wish to enjoy the grounds with their dogs that they should be a ‘Scooperhero’ and:
- Keep dogs on a lead
- Bring bags with you when you set off on your walk
- Bag the mess, if your dog has fouled
- Bin the bag
- Clean your hands
Thanks to all the dog owners who are already ‘Scooperheroes’ when they visit the University of Exeter grounds. We hope we can continue to welcome you and your dogs.
Iain Park
Director of Grounds