Calls for dog owners to keep their pets on leads along a stretch of seafront inhabited by protected birds have...
Been met with nods and exclamation of 'Well, yes, that seems sensible, under the circumstances'..?
...sparked an angry backlash.
What were the odds?!?
The area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Ramsar site, which is a wetland of international importance, particularly for its role as a waterfowl habitat.
Now, the authority is asking for feedback on the idea of enforcing lead use along the stretch as part of a consultation on its Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), which govern rules around dog control, among other things. Initial responses have thrown up “substantial suggestions” that dogs should be made to wear leads.
From people who are keen on birds, and also people not keen on muddy pawprints on their clothes accompanying the cry 'He's just being friendly!' no doubt...
Among them is Tankerton resident Andrew McGuinness, who branded it “a terrible idea”.
“The question is whether off-the-lead dogs alter habitat and wildlife,” he said. “As far as I know there is only personal anecdote, but no scientific proof that an off-the-lead dog has altered either of these.
“Most of them are well-behaved off the lead.”
Well, yes. Most people aren't serial killers, but the ones that are cause a bit of damage, Abdrew...
“I live close by and the only problem I’ve really experienced in more than 10 years in the (proposed) area is the trouble with cyclists who won’t dismount or use designated routes.”
I'm not sure pointing out another group with an image problem caused by a selfish minority is going to help your case much, is it?
“This sort of Draconian suggestion is a sad measure of where ‘community’ has gone in recent times.
“At a time of Covid, extended lockdown and limited opportunities to exercise outdoors alongside one’s dog, why not clamp the dog to its owner’s leg and be done with it?”
Oh, extra points for bringing Covid into it!
I do a lot of country walks and see so many dogs off the lead, my wife has a phobia about them and can get hysterical when they run up too her, very few apologise for having a dog off the lead on a public footpath, as for the sh@t yhey leave behind and even those who put it in bags leave it dangling off branches
ReplyDeleteI read the headline, I was sure you were going to say motorists.
ReplyDeleteSo disappointed.
I have little problem with the idea of having dogs on leads in areas where unleashed dogs may do harm to wildlife. It's little different from the signs I see where I live reminding dog owners that unleashed dogs and sheep don't mix and that to protect sheep dogs must be on leads.
ReplyDeleteI have recently experienced the selfishness of some dog owners and it really has annoyed me. Because of the lockdown I've been doing a lot of outdoor education with my son, taking him to forests to show him streams and copious amounts of mud that he can play in, identifying different types of trees and shrubs and the birds and animals that can be found. Unfortunately one of these forests is very popular with dog owners and cyclists. The cyclists are scrupulous about ringing their bells as they approach from behind but the dog owners, well, antisocial is probably the best way to describe them. The main pathway into the forest is littered with bags containing dog shit. I counted at least ten of them in the space of about 150 to 200 yards. These selfish dog owners are doing the right thing in bagging their dog shit but then just chucking the sealed bags of shit into pathside drainage ditches, the side of the path or even around notices informing the public as to what wildlife can be seen.
Whilst cyclists can indeed be selfish and demanding, they've got nothing on the dog owners where I live.
"...even those who put it in bags leave it dangling off branches"
ReplyDeleteI cannnot fathom the mentality of people who do that. 😡
"I read the headline, I was sure you were going to say motorists.
So disappointed."
😉
"The cyclists are scrupulous about ringing their bells as they approach from behind but the dog owners, well, antisocial is probably the best way to describe them."
It's the way they assume 'Well, you can't object, look at his little fluffy-wuffy face!'..