Plea to dog owners in Dulwich Park

[alice]

I used to get shouted at by the park keeper everyday for cycling to work through the park.

[alice]

Double post

[Lebanums]

I am also a little nervous of dogs having never had any growing up. I manage with friends dogs but I don't want strange dogs running & jumping up at me. It's not a case of let them approach you.

It's complete disregard for other park users.

Another issue is not picking up after their dogs, there is so much poo on the streets at the moment.

[tedfudge]

I used to take my dogs to dulwich park on the edge of the park there is a trail where you walk through the trees etc where you can walk the dogs off the lead . I know this because the park wardens told me and there used to be signs saying so but not sure about now..

[brightfield1975]

The situation in Dulwich park is getting out of control. Lockdown seems to have massively increased the number of dogs in the park. My 2 boys were both in tears after being jumped up at by 2 dogs off leads by the lake. The owners were incredibly rude. It has got so bad that I won't be taking to that park anymore despite it only being 5 minutes away. There are various signs within the inner part of the park saying that dogs have to be on leads but does anyone have a definitive plan of where dogs are allowed/ not allowed on a lead? Are there any wardens left, where can we report irresponsible dog owners to?

[Nigello]

If you look on the boards near the car park/tennis courts at the Dulwich Picture Gallery side there are SOuthwark information posters with phone numbers for park officers, etc. If enough of you sent him or her a text, askign for warden presence or better signage, etc, it may work. Otherwise, not much will change.

[siousxiesue]

I think a lot of this is to do with the increase in foot fall, obviously.

Pre lockdown, certain times in the park were almost eerie in the feeling of emptiness, now you can't swing a cat. At any time. And I get that it's everyone's park. I'm not excusing any particular behaviour.

This kind of thing happens with too many lab rats in an enclosure..

brightfield1975 Wrote:

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> The situation in Dulwich park is getting out of

> control. Lockdown seems to have massively

> increased the number of dogs in the park. My 2

> boys were both in tears after being jumped up at

> by 2 dogs off leads by the lake. The owners were

> incredibly rude. It has got so bad that I won't be

> taking to that park anymore despite it only being

> 5 minutes away. There are various signs within the

> inner part of the park saying that dogs have to be

> on leads but does anyone have a definitive plan of

> where dogs are allowed/ not allowed on a lead? Are

> there any wardens left, where can we report

> irresponsible dog owners to?

[BrandNewGuy]

Not just the increase in footfall, but the huge increase in dog ownership:

"London has seen the biggest regional spike in UK dog ownership with an increase of 84 per cent in 2020."

https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/london-sees-a-sharp-rise-in-pandemic-puppies/

Had to smile when I spoke to a local young couple before Xmas who said that they were becoming vegan ? and that they'd just got a dog. So, probably increasing their household meat intake then...

[siousxiesue]

Wouldn't be so sure, there is a vegan dog movement, I kid you not..

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> Not just the increase in footfall, but the huge

> increase in dog ownership:

> "London has seen the biggest regional spike in UK

> dog ownership with an increase of 84 per cent in

> 2020."

> https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/london-sees-a-sharp

> -rise-in-pandemic-puppies/

>

> Had to smile when I spoke to a local young couple

> before Xmas who said that they were becoming vegan

> ? and that they'd just got a dog. So, probably

> increasing their household meat intake then...

[Penguin68]

During these times of infection I wonder if the council could ban dogs not on leads from everywhere in the parks (and council cemeteries), at least until infection rates fall dramatically. Dogs don't understand social distancing and can run up to anyone, neither do small children who can pet them - creating disease vectors quite unintentionally.

A general ban on dogs off leads would ensure there was no room for confusion as to which areas may be OK - all wouldn't be.

[tiddles]

Oh I hope not - walking off lead is quite important excercise - not excusing people who are not appreciative of the ?shared spAce? nature of parks. Have to admit the parks are bonkers busy at the moment

[taper]

A ban on dogs off leads would be cruel and unnecessary.

[Frankito]

Perhaps they should also consider putting kids on leads too and, for the sake of it, all those crowds at NCR market..

Penguin68 Wrote:

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> During these times of infection I wonder if the

> council could ban dogs not on leads from

> everywhere in the parks (and council cemeteries),

> at least until infection rates fall dramatically.

> Dogs don't understand social distancing and can

> run up to anyone, neither do small children who

> can pet them - creating disease vectors quite

> unintentionally.

>

> A general ban on dogs off leads would ensure there

> was no room for confusion as to which areas may be

> OK - all wouldn't be.

[malumbu]

Husbands on a lead is popular in Canada

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55631198

[Penguin68]

walking off lead is quite important excercise

So, no doubt, is coughing your lungs up in ICUs. I'd rather the dogs lost that opportunity so that the ICU patients could as well. I'm not suggesting a permanent ban, but one that sat with Lock-down, and perhaps Tier 4.

I am clearly unusual in rating people's health needs higher than dogs'. But I do. Sue me.

[brightfield1975]

Taper-some would say that dog ownership is cruel and unnecessary

"A ban on dogs off leads would be cruel and unnecessary"

[first mate]

brightfield1975 Wrote:

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> Taper-some would say that dog ownership is cruel

> and unnecessary

>

> "A ban on dogs off leads would be cruel and

> unnecessary"

I dare say that owners of support dogs, rescue dogs, security dogs and so on might beg to differ. Of all animal species domestic dogs have evolved to be owned by a human.

[malumbu]

Evolution?? Actually 1000s of years of selective breeding. Very different to grey Wolves that scavenged around human settlements 20,000 years ago.

[brightfield1975]

Very much agree with you first mate but what percentage of dogs in Dulwich park fall within these categories?

and as malumbo states - humans owning dogs ...... is this evolution? Forced breeding over many years doesn't count in my book.

brightfield1975 Wrote:

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> Taper-some would say that dog ownership is cruel

> and unnecessary

>

> "A ban on dogs off leads would be cruel and

> unnecessary"

I dare say that owners of support dogs, rescue dogs, security dogs and so on might beg to differ. Of all animal species domestic dogs have evolved to be owned by a human.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was today, 09:21am by first mate.

[KidKruger]

Why complicate things with all this encyclopaedia brittanica nonsense.

It?s simple.

If your dog won?t heel when you tell it to and has a tendency to approach people, keep it on a lead.

[malumbu]

There's also views that most dogs now are just overgrown puppies, as this was the traits that we wanted for pets. Their predecessors did not routinely bark, apart from their puppies when they wanted attention or were anxious. From 20 years of reading New Scientist in my younger days.

[KidKruger]

Like I said...

[first mate]

KK, I do agree, the simple solution is that until your dog is sufficiently trained have them on a lead or a long line. This is a matter of educating dog and puppy owners.

Brightfield1975, dog ownership can be a very positive thing, even when the dog is only a pet. Some are of the view that there is no place for dogs in the modern world. I do not agree. What we can agree on is that where dog owners are sharing valued space with non-dog owners there needs to be greater consideration given to those who may dislike or fear dogs. Young dogs do need some free running so would-be owners need to consider if they can achieve this without imposing on those who do not own dogs.

As for the point about 'forced' breeding; not sure what you mean? Are you against all forms of artificial selection and therefore all domestic species?

KidKruger Wrote:

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> Why complicate things with all this encyclopaedia

> brittanica nonsense.

> It?s simple.

> If your dog won?t heel when you tell it to and has

> a tendency to approach people, keep it on a lead.

[first mate]

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There's also views that most dogs now are just

> overgrown puppies, as this was the traits that we

> wanted for pets. Their predecessors did not

> routinely bark, apart from their puppies when they

> wanted attention or were anxious. From 20 years

> of reading New Scientist in my younger days.

Compared to wolves dogs are more juvenile in terms of behaviour.... this is well known and is not new. Routine barking at certain noises is an innate watchdog function in many breeds and a trait selected for over hundreds of years.

[malumbu]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> Like I said...

All hail the people's poet, we truly aren't worthy