Why dog owners must leash their pets in public spaces

Thomas Johnson, Belthorn Estate 

The park where I live is almost 40 years old. It's a spacious green area and has a circumference path and play equipment. The majority of its users don't live adjacent to it.

It's very popular with dog walkers, many, or most, of whom don't leash their dogs. Among these are Alsatians, but not especially those that are either too energetic or untrained to be permitted to roam freely. This applies to any public recreational space, though.

The first sad event this year was an unleashed young Alsatian that allegedly charged our cat Baby Jane (11), sitting on the pavement outside our property. She ran into the road and was run over. Her injuries were catastrophic. She died at the vet two hours later.

Two weeks later, the same dog charged another of our cats sitting on our fence, which safely jumped back into our property. No apology from its people, just surly entitlement.

The second event was on Sunday, June 29. At 4pm, a wandering white medium-sized dog with a tan head and markings was in the park. For the following hour, it tried to return the way it had come home, I imagine. But it was interrupted by two consecutive walkers with unleashed dogs, one a large Rottweiler.

Just after 5pm, it took its chance, only to be chased down by an Alsatian which had just arrived with its owner. The stray made a getaway but ran headlong into the road, where it was instantly killed. The driver did not stop (they never do).

I retrieved the body (drivers don't slow even then), massive internal damage evident from the blood ejected from the mouth. The Alsatian's owner immediately retreated to her car and drove away. I'd have confronted her otherwise. I'm arranging to dispose of the body.

The city's parks are there to be enjoyed by all lawful users. Among these are dog walkers who are required to leash.

Parks' signs indicate so. Our park gets a lot of visitors. Most are orderly. The problem is irresponsible people who don't control their animals (or children who harass the birds). I'm not sure how this can be managed except to ask its users to be considerate. Failing which, firmer measures must be considered.

We put out a message on the neighbourhood group asking if anyone might know who the tan dog's family is. Our sympathies to them.