Letter - Overboard on Dogs!

Am I the only person in Victoria still outraged at the off-leash dog zone that has turned the Dallas Road cliffs - surely one of the most scenic walks in the world - into a frightful, chaotic mess? Am I the only person disgusted at having to dodge the increasing amounts of dog excrement left behind on our city's sidewalks, trails and playing fields? The latter problem has even descended recently onto our downtown streets, an unintended consequence of all those new urban condo dwellers.

How and why has our society gone so overboard on dogs? There are designer dogs, dog spas, exotic meats for dogs, dog clothing, special rooms for dogs in homes. Suddenly, dogs are the new children! People no longer seem content with one dog for a pet; they now have two or three or more frolicking around them, with some of the pack invariably off leash and out of control. Dog lovers can be expected to respond that irresponsible pet owners are a small minority, an irrelevant argument given the huge increase in pet ownership overall. Besides, the results speak for themselves; just be careful not to get knocked over by them - or to step on them.

Let's not let Victoria, a great tourist destination, go the way of Paris and Amsterdam, both infamous for excrement-laden sidewalks and dog craziness. A final word to local politicians: Despite the noise of the dog lobby, non-dog owners are still in the majority, and they vote.

Brian Mason