Skip to content

Dog owners’ rights trample those of others

Many people, especially children, are afraid of dogs

Re: Dog ownership rules restrictive (Letters, June 8)

Good for the City of Victoria. Dog ownership should be restrictive.

My wife and I have shaken our heads at dog owners numerous times over the past few years. Many seem to think that the general public enjoys having frisky, nosy dogs jumping on them, sniffing their picnics and licking their child’s faces.

We’ve witnessed dogs trained on ‘mental’ leashes jumping on kids in on-leash areas. From the child’s perspective, these are not ‘doggie kisses,’ this is an attack. Children can be traumatized and the associated fear compounds with each recurrence.

The dog owners we have observed have been blind to the fact that their dog has left a child screaming and in tears, and rarely, if ever, apologize. The city’s dog-control ‘browbeats’ can’t be zealous enough.

Mark deLeeuw

Saanich