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Dog controls hinder responsible owners
• I AM a resident, voter and council-tax payer and I write to strenuously object to the proposal to require all dogs to be kept on leads “at all times on any land which is open to the air and to which the public are entitled…” (Public notice, Feb 15).
While keeping a dog on a lead in city streets is what all responsible dog owners already do, requiring them to do so in parks is cruel and unnecessary.
Legislating in an overly-broad, unnecessary manner is not only a hallmark of bad legislation, it is also a form of oppression that needlessly narrows our liberties as citizens.
I would ask the council to reconsider this legislation and draft it more narrowly to address reasonable concerns about fouling and responsible behaviour by dog owners.
As it stands this legislation punishes people and dogs who are model owners and citizens rather than individual bad actors. Punishing good actors breeds contempt for the law.
The proposal appears to be a heavy-handed, overbearing and reactionary response to some minority interest or some specific incidence of bad behaviour by some dog owners (who are almost always to blame for the rare incidents when dogs behave badly).
By all means please pursue any person that allows his dog to fight, harm people or foul but there is already legislation addressing these issues.
There is just no need or public demand to shackle thousands of good dogs to their owners on leads in public parks.
GEOFFREY CRAIG
Leighton Rd, NW5
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