Donal Hickey: Should dogs be allowed off-leash at beaches or in parks with deer?
Beaches And Scare Or From Roost They Where Feed On Birds Dogs Away Can Loose Hurt
Without wishing to take from people's enjoyment of the festive season as they walk their dogs, there’s a nagging issue: why do they let their pets loose in places where control is essential?
Dogs are let off the leash in areas where they can attack people, and worry, or even kill, other animals. This happens in parks containing deer; beaches and marshes with wading birds; and hillsides where sheep graze.
Even usually harmless dogs can frighten people by, say, jumping at them, and can be a nuisance to walkers and cyclists.
Having slowly crept up and waited for the incoming tide to push these waders closer in so they got used to me, a woman arrived and kept throwing sticks in the sea for her dogs, then walked right past me flushing every bird in sight. Just stared at me stupidly when I remonstrated. pic.twitter.com/t2Ar129okQ
— Richard T. Mills (@RichardTMills) June 6, 2023
Farmers in some areas have put up signs banning dogs from their land, and a growing number of people generally feel it is high time that dog-owners exercise proper control. A New Year's resolution, maybe!
Please, would dog walkers stay off the estuary at low tide at Rosscarbery. It's the only place where the birds can roost and feed, and there are plenty of other places to go and not disturb them. THINK! pic.twitter.com/wOr5SCAmYy
— Richard T. Mills (@RichardTMills) July 20, 2022
Cork-based wildlife photographer, Richard Mills, who has been voicing concerns for some time, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Please, would dog walkers stay off the estuary at low tide at Rosscarbery. It’s the only place where the birds can roost and feed, and there are plenty of other places to go and not disturb them. THINK!"
Australia bans dogs, even on a leash, from nearly all their national parks and nature reserves. We should be doing the same. pic.twitter.com/EDYKeSbY24
— Pádraic Fogarty (@whittledaway) November 12, 2023
Ecologist and author, Padraic Fogarty, also wrote on X: “Australia bans dogs, even on a leash, from nearly all their national parks and nature reserves. We should be doing the same."
Such a ban here would almost certainly find opposition, but the least dog owners can do is have their pets on a leash. Even in Killarney National Park, which has two large herds of native Red and Sika deer, many people do not control their dogs.
A growing dog population has become very noticeable in the last few years. Dog numbers now stand at 495,000, according to Statista, the data collection agency. Numbers have risen by 10% in the last decade, but many people would argue it’s probably more than that, especially since the covid outbreak.
Surveys by Trinity College Dublin and Dog Friendly Ireland show that almost 50% of households own a pet dog, compared to 34% in Britain.
Rural and Community Development Minister, Heather Humphreys, recently announced new dog control measures, increasing fines from €100 to €300. Regulations, of course, are useless unless enforced, but we’ll wait and see.
The minister warned that people will be fined if they don’t control their dogs. She also said multiple fines can be imposed on those who don’t have a muzzle, or a collar, on restricted breeds.
Acknowledging “very real public concern" over recent attacks by dogs on people, the minister confirmed a that high-level stakeholder group will look at expanding the list of restricted breeds, which currently includes American pitbull terriers, Alsatians, and rottweilers, to name a few.