There are people who are genuinely afraid of dogs either through past experience or as the result of media focus on a few really tragic incidents. As a result all dogs and their owners have become demonized. I believe that for the most part (with notable exceptions) there are really great dogs and owners; however the mere act of leashing up dogs tends to make them territorial and protective of their “owner’ and they become defensive towards other dogs and this precipitates aggression which is perceived as a general ‘Bad Dog Behavior Example’.

Dogs require and should have an opportunity to run free and exercise under supervision but there has to be specific limits on where and for how long. I believe that the present Bylaw is a very reasonable compromise for all concerned. I also believe that a knee jerk reaction to complaints and subsequent enforcement of the Bylaw is unfair to the responsible owners because by their passivity and desire to comply and not complain they become victims of a vocal minority.

If the Bylaw is changed to accommodate a few complainants then the issue of dogs is another example of the squeakiest wheel getting the grease but it is not a good example of democracy in action. This is due entirely to the Town not enforcing the Bylaw unless there is a complaint. By default only those who complain get action but who is to represent those who have nothing to complain about? In order for the Town to make Bylaw decisions in an equitable fashion it has to enforce its Bylaws continuously and consistently, not on an Ad Hoc complaint driven basis. No amount of restrictions on the responsible owners will change the behavior of the irresponsible owners who will continue to run rough-shod over everyone else and thus compliant owners become victimized by irresponsible ‘scoff-law behavior’.

Pat Hampson