Beach canine situation is going to the dogs
It’s good that more off-leash bylaw enforcement will occur in parks.
Now, how about everywhere else?
Almost daily, I see rambunctious dogs off their leashes, running roughshod over people’s property. Invariably the owner is nearby, carrying the leash, so these dogs do not just get loose on their own.
Some of my neighbours have posted signs requesting that dogs not defecate or urinate in their yard because children play there or because the urine is killing valued plants. Although most dog walkers are considerate people who respect property owners’ wishes, I have seen others sneer at the signs and encourage their pets to do their business in those very locations.
These louts often do not pick up after their dogs, or if they do, they leave bags of poop on the sidewalk, or throw it into other people’s just-emptied garbage or recycling bins, where it will stink for two weeks.
I doubt that officers will be patrolling our streets looking for these offenders, so I am calling upon the legions of responsible dog owners to help rein in the antisocial behaviour of their peers. If you see someone doing something unacceptable, explain that they are tarnishing the reputation of all dog owners.
Patricia Collins
Lyall Avenue
Human behaviour going to the dogs
Yes, people are the problem, and Mr. Barker could be the poster child for those dog owners with a sense of self entitlement, arrogance, lack of respect for others and a total disregard for the law. A dog of that size belongs in a rural area where its needs can be met, not in a crowded city frightening people and breaking laws. Having been bitten several times by so-called “friendly” dogs the last thing I want to see is his GENERALLY NON-AGGRESSIVE 117-pound dog bounding my way.
Doug Grinnell
Dog owner feeling down in the dumps
Re: Be proud of our Blue Flag beach, Martina Rowley, July 29:
The quote from Stuart Slessor, Parks Supervisor almost made me laugh, except it’s not a laughing matter. “Beaches get cleaned daily. Staff also hand pick.”
I’ve lived in the Beach for more than 50 years and I remember the days when staff used to walk the beach on a regular basis and keep it clean. That was before they gave them all pick-up trucks and dune buggies to ride around in. Now they drive back and forth on the sand near the boardwalk and do not check the lower portion of the beach by the shore.
The only people keeping the shoreline clean are the people “illegally” walking their dogs. I bring a bag with me every morning and fill it a least three times between Balsam and Lee (mostly bottles, cans, coffee cups and plastic, the occasional dirty diaper).
Last year a parks employee speeding along the beach in a dune buggy stopped and asked whether I had seen any dead birds. I replied no but told him there was a pile of garbage near the shore. He told me he only did dead birds and that the complaints department was closed. Then he sped away enjoying his dream job.
That garbage was there for a week until I cleaned it up.
It didn’t help the garbage problem when they took away half the garbage cans and moved the remaining ones so they are accessible from the bike path – I assume to make it easier for the workers in the garbage truck.
There’s been a lot a talk lately about enforcing the dogs off-leash bylaw. That’s fine but let’s be consistent and enforce the littering by-law.
Paul McKeown
Queen Street
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