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Why we must keep dogs out of this
neighbourhood oasis
• I WANT to protest strongly at the plans to open Arlington Square gardens to dogs and their owners.
This square is an oasis for residents, be they elderly or families with young children, who want to enjoy some fresh air and open space without the fear of treading in dog faeces left by irresponsible owners.
Dog owners have ample space to exercise their pets in the area – Union Square, Shoreditch Park and Highbury Fields to name a few areas.
It is about time Islington Council gave some thought to the vast majority of council tax payers who are not dog owners and who are asking for the minority of open spaces which are dog free to remain so.
I would also like to complain to the council about the dog mess on our streets left by the above-mentioned irresponsible owners. The council should be doing much more to enforce on-the-spot fines to these people who show no respect for the law or indeed for their neighbours.
The council seems to have no problem handing out thousands of parking tickets every year. How about getting its parking attendants to double up as dog wardens?
Dennis Edwards
Linton Street, N1
q In proposing to open up all Islington parks to off-the-lead dogs, the council reassures us that dog control orders, incorporated within the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, will protect us from excrement and harassment by unruly dogs.
But Islington Council has long failed to enforce this act and the pavements are often covered in litter and dog excrement.
Other dog control legislation is also ignored by the council, which takes no heed of the pit bulls and similar dangerous breeds that roam our parks and housing areas.
Bland assurances that “authorised staff [will] instruct dog owners to put their dogs on a lead if they are causing a nuisance or danger to other people” fail to convince.
Who are these authorised officers and where will they be found when a large doberman chooses to dump its load in the middle of Lonsdale Square?
Before accepting the new proposals to lose our dog-free parks, we need to know how many successful prosecutions the council has brought against dog owners whose pets have fouled pavements since the 2005 act was introduced? I would guess that the answer is none.
ADAM TIMMIS (dog owner)
Lonsdale Square, N1
• PLEASE do not allow the Lib Dems to turn our parks and open spaces into dog toilets.
Here in Barnsbury Square we are plagued with noise and excrement from dogs.
It can’t be sanitised by calling it poo, faeces or excreta. It is what it is: s**t!
Some dog owners pick up the mess in plastic bags and put it in the waste baskets, which can be smelly.
Of course, dog owners have a vote but this is being pandered to. Labour MP Emily Thornberry has been petitioned about this nuisance in the past.
There is also Friends of Barnsbury Square Gardens, a self-appointed, dog-owning group.
Dog owners should be taxed to cover the cost of dog wardens and cleaners. They should be required to put dog loos in their expansive, freehold back gardens and not have the rest of humanity suffer the nuisance and noise of their dogs.
An area not in much use by the public – for example, Malvern Terrace Gardens – would accommodate flat dwellers who do not have a garden. But as some of them own four dogs and large mastiffs, perhaps they should be curtailed from ownership altogether.
Responsible dog ownership? What about those who do not own a dog? Do we not count? Or is our vote surplus to requirement ?
CP Daly
Barnsbury Square, N1
• IN the event that the council in its wisdom decides to open up certain green spaces, including Arlington Square, to dogs running off leads, and in the event that my small son is injured there by one of the great danes, alsatians, rottweilers or huskies that live in the houses close by, but which do not currently run free in the square, will I be able to sue the council for breach of duty of care and/or negligence?
TIM WILLIS
N1
• I read the letters about the proposed dog control orders with concern (Warning: We’re about to lose our dog-free parks, April 4).
There seemed to be a campaign by a small group of people to create anxiety about dogs, containing many inaccurate statements.
The failure of dog owners to clear up dog faeces is irresponsible and certainly deserves a fine, but the risk of infection from toxicara canis is very rare if dogs are wormed regularly. Children have grown up with pets for generations without blindness being caused.
The dog control orders proposed by Islington Council are reasonable and just proposals. They are the result of listening to dog owners and non-owners alike.
They have been advertised in all parks and public gardens and in all council publications. It has been an open consultation that fulfils all the legal requirements of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.
As a dog owner I am quite happy with the space I use at present and do not need to use the small public gardens listed.
I do, however, object to the emotive and alarmist language used by the letter writers to create anxiety and gain support for their campaign.
MARIE REES
Richmond Crescent, N1
• READERS worry that the council intends to open all green spaces to dogs, so I’m writing to put their minds at ease.
We are taking a fresh look at dogs policy in our parks and are holding a big consultation on the issue.
I’d like to thank your correspondents for publicising this consultation, because the more residents who get in touch the better.
The council has proposed that all children’s play areas, sports fields and allotments ban dogs, but that they would be allowed in other parks and open spaces. But if there are other parks which residents feel should also ban dogs we need you to tell us. Each park is going to be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on what local people tell us. The consultation specifically asks if there are places you think dogs should be excluded from or places where they are currently not allowed where they should be.
We need your views to get this right. The consultation closes this month, so please do quickly email dogs.consultation@
islington.gov.uk to voice your opinion. We will listen.
And, most importantly, we intend to invest in enforcing the results of this consultation.
There have been problems under the old bylaws with people taking dogs into dog-free parks, or letting their dogs off the lead where they are not supposed to. We believe that responsible dog ownership means following the rules, so we are prepared to get tough on bad owners, with fines and prosecutions if necessary.
Cllr RUTH POLLING
Lib Dem executive member for leisure and equalities
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