In the second part of our Dogs in Parks debate we talked to a responsible dog owner.
Sue Talbot has kept Border Collies for over 30 years in Beeston. She has walked them in Cross Flatts Park and Middleton Park throughout that time and has seen many changes. Here are her views:
The first thing I want to say is it’s not the dogs’ fault – it’s the owners. It is very easy to own a dog these days, but there is very little control on how you look after your dog.
Most owners love their dogs, they look after them and supervise their exercise. No one in Beeston has a large garden so of course we take our dogs to the park. I do understand that if you are not keen on dogs and one runs towards you it is hard to know if it’s friendly or aggressive.
Having said that, dogs should be allowed to run off the lead in the park, but owners must train them so they come back when called. Letting them run on the tennis courts isn’t the answer as people play sports in these.
I think children, and adults actually, need to be taught how to behave around dogs too. Screaming and running away just looks like a good game to a dog. It’s much better to be quiet and stand still.
Owners need to make sure they pick up their dog’s poo too. It’s disgusting to leave it for someone else to tread in.
I would like to see the Dog Licence brought back and set at a realistic level, say £50 per year
It sounds a lot, but a puppy can cost several hundred pounds and then there are the vets bills. All dogs should be chipped and that data should be linked to the annual licence. The money from the licence fees should then be spent on a proper Dog Warden service that can deal with irresponsible dog owners.
Tomorrow we’ll hear from the Police.
Myself and my lovely friendly dog Cookie would be devastated if this was brought in. This is where she gets most of her exercise and we all know how exercise is beneficial to the mind and body, well it’s the same with dogs. You cannot exercise your dog properly on a lead. It’s their time in the park/woodlands to explore and run free it would be a very sad day if this was enforced. You only have to say to my dog “shall we go to the park” and she gets all excited. She loves her time out in the open space free to run around and explore her surroundings. J x