It's a dog's life
In today's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Terence Pillay tackles the issue of dogs on the beachfront following a recent incident. Should dogs be allowed on the beachfront? Have your say here.
Michelle Roux and her family were walking their pet bull terrier on the Durban beachfront promenade when a poodle, not on a leash, attacked the bull terrier.
The bull terrier, which was in a full body harness and a leash, naturally reacted by locking its jaw over the poodle’s neck.
Drama ensued with passersby trying to help – some hit the terrier with beer bottles, while others punched the animal. Eventually the police arrived and tazered the terrier, which then released its grip on the poodle.
Ethekweni Municipality allows for dog owners to use the Durban beachfront promenade, along with cyclists, runners and pedestrians – but there are rules. Signboards all along the promenade are clear that your dogs need to be on a leash. But is this rule being adequately enforced? If it was, perhaps incidents like Michelle’s terrier would not take place.
There are no bad dogs, just bad owners. So when you take your dog out for a walk, don’t let your dog walk you!
Vote in our homepage poll here and have your say: should dogs be allowed on the beachfront?