Last Modified: February 19th, 2006
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Dogging is a relatively new practice that has gained popularity largely due to the prescence of the internet, it was first reported on by BBC news in 2003 and has since became a much-talked about subject in the British media. The term most usually defines sexual acts taking place in public places (while empty or secluded), many meet ups also include 'watchers' who spectate on the sexual activity. The Police Force did not act immediately on preventing these meetings taking place, in fact the first comment by officials was those of the NHS (National Health Service) warning those who participate in the activity of a rise in the number sexually-transmitted diseases (chlamydia, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis) across the country. Police began to intervene after the act gained national attention and complaints started arising, they also had to respond to some incidents of couples being somewhat harassed by others who assumed that they were in the area to participate in dogging, this led to the police announcing statements reminding members of the public of the laws on indecent exposure and lewd conduct.
The activity garnered major public attention when celebrities such as Stan Collymore (a professional football player in the 1990s) and Steve McFadden (an actor who most famously plays Phil Mitchell in the soap series 'EastEnders') were accused of participating in dogging. This has contributed to the negative view of the activity in the British press and the image of perverts being somewhat attributed to male doggers by newspapers and television programs alike. The case of Stan Collymore has been used in the production of the 2006 film 'Basic Instinct 2' which portrays dogging happening in the centre of London.
The British media, and that of other countries in which the activity goes on have somewhat vilified it, using reasons such as children using the areas or 'doggers' using places of public interest or tourist attractions to conduct their acitivities in. An example of this would be in early 2004 when the newspaper 'The Observer' reported on dogging happening in a historic Sawbridgeworth park, these claims were repeated by residents of the area in February 2006 causing town councillors to call on police to investigate. Although occurrences like this are infrequent and isolated, they are beginning to have an effect on the way that the British public as a whole see the act of dogging (changing from something seen as risque and naughty, to something seen as an annoyance and a hazard to children), and it is beginning to make more people think that harsher punishments should be given to those who are caughty participating.
The polarization of the issue is coming to a head, shown in the mainstream media. Areas that were previously used for recreational use along with family activites are now experiencing a decline in visitor numbers due to them gaining a reputation for being a haven for 'doggers' who are usually rumoured to be in areas of shubbery or using the area during the night, when the least number of visitors are there. Some country parks have installed gates to dissallow access to their car parks after hours of operation.
The internet is a major factor in the rise of popularity of dogging, as it created a place for those wanting to take part to meet up with like minded people and organise meeting times and places with anonymity and privacy. The internet arguably could be credited with the creation of dogging itself, as previously it was only very small groups of friends who participated in it and it had no official name (according to Jane White in Marie Claire Magazine: "The term originates from the practice of men using imaginary dogs as an excuse for hanging around in the bushes"). The police have now realised this and many forums and websites dedicated to dogging now contain policies and rules meaning that users should not post directions to, the names of exact locations or the time of dogging meets as they may be under surveillance from the police force.
It can also be seen that the internet has reflected the growing popularity of the activity, as many pornographic sites have been set up featuring videos of dogging, many of which are filmed with real people and are not setup by production companies, this has only increased interest as it has turned participants into minor celebrities, and it has meant that the places featured in the videos are much more popular amongst those who did not previously go dogging, and have become places for newcomers to introduce themselves to more experienced doggers.
The clampdowns have forced many couples and singles who legitimately take part in dogging to become much more private and resort to private chatrooms to organise events, police efforts have included browsing popular dogging websites to find out where and when 'offenders' will be in the area and then arresting all involved. This is seen by many as unjustified as there have been examples where over 20 polices officers have arrested less than 5 people in seclude areas, the argument against this is that the police should be out tackling more important crime, compared to couples and singles enjoying themselves when not many other people are around, as most doggers make the effort to make sure that people who aren't involved cannot see or are not around when their activities begin.
After gaining popularity mainly in Britain, dogging events are now being organised in America and Canada and the word itself seems to be gaining worldwide attention for what it refers to, it is argued by some that this is a bad thing and will only intensify police attention on what is going on and how to prevent it, although others say that it is raising awareness of an activity that willing couples enjoy without harming anyone else.
It can be seen that as more people begin taking part in dogging, the more attention it will recieve from the press and media and that means that the police and government will begin taking action against those more seriously. This could include new legislation being passed into law meaning that those caught in the act will face harsher punishment, these could range from steep fines all the way up to jail time. It is advisory to those who do take part in dogging to not be as obvious about it over the coming months so that there will be nothing for the media to use and therefore no basis on police action to intervene on the adult fun that some are having.
It has to be said that it is unlikely that the popularity of dogging as an activity will fade anytime soon, which means that the chances of the Police and the Government taking action in order to curb the activity are high. It will be up to those who partake in the activity to lower it's negative profile amongst the British press and to make sure that it does not become more serious, in order to continue doing it.
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