Mar
2
Dog haters are certainly allowed to voice their opinions but Mr. Mason's remarks (Overboard on dogs, feb/12) need addressing. I don't dress my dog or take him to spas, but he is certainly a vital member of my family. Many folks have dogs simply because all their family have moved on and the love, companionship, protection and reason to get up every morning that dogs provide help create fulfilling lives. It's been said that dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole. But...folks are entitled to hate these precious creatures. I hate bad drivers, smokers and drunks. And unlike dogs, this group is dangerous and destructive to everyone!
Mr. Mason is outraged that the embankment at the Dallas Rd. dog park is being ravaged by unruly beasts. I'm quite familiar with the area. Only one mile of our magnificent coastline is open for off leash dogs. The fencing and signage provided keeps 99% of dogs off the cliffs. Weather has a far more destructive influence on the cliffs than the odd dog taking a short cut to the beach.
Dogs are social, pack animals that need to run free with other dogs in order to become effectively socialized AND stay fit, happy and healthy. There are only 8 off-leash parks in Victoria to meet the needs of thousands of dogs. For nearly most of his life, my 11 yr. old dog and I lived across the street from one of the best off-leash parks in town: Topaz Park. The friendly, supportive and social dog community that develops as a result of such parks is fabulous and I had no idea how invaluable such dog communities are until I had to move into a neighbourhhod with no off-leash park.
Despite miles of coastline and numerous green spaces, James Bay does not have an off-leash area. As a result, many dogs here are leash-dependent, anxious and unsocialized. Those owners recognizing their dog's needs to be free and socialize must then use their car to "walk" their dog. That seems absurd to me...needing a car to walk your dog. The Dallas Rd. dog park is the closest park to James Bay and I suspect many of the dogs we see there are from this neighbourhhood. These unsocialized, leash-dependent dogs are the "bad seeds" of the dog park. But it's not their fault.
Too few dog parks, and more specifically, mandatory leash laws have created a generation of bad owners and untrained dogs. We trained our dog off-leash, establishing a "mental" leash using our words to control him rather than choking him with the indiscriminate yanking of a rope tied around his neck. The result is a dog who listens and obeys. And he obeys because he loves and trusts me. He knows I will never choke him or drag him around by the neck. But I know of the dog issues at Dallas to which Mr. Mason referred. "Off-leash" does not mean "ignore".
If a dog jumps the fence and climbs down the embankment it's because the owner has failed to keep an eye on their dog or is unable to control him. THAT is the bad behaviour. Allowing your dog to meander behind you, rather than keeping him in front of you (where you can see what he's up to) is how alot of those poops end up being ignored (out of sight, out of mind!). Leash-dependent dogs allowed to run free in a dog park are the trouble makers. They run into traffic, knock over toddlers, trip up joggers, and their owners have no verbal control over their pet. These are the dogs giving us all a bad rep!
Considering all the beautiful greenspaces and coastline Victoria has for people and tourists to enjoy, the minuscular areas designated for dogs should not be an area of contention.
By Nancy Raycroft