There is no need for dogs to go on St Brelade beach at all – spring or summer, at any time of the day. There are plenty of other places where owners can exercise them.
However, the problem simply shifts from place A to place B.
Take White Rock as an example. This has been relatively free of faeces over the winter and spring, and yet since the start of this month, the lovely green space has been overrun by dog doughnuts. It is no longer a pleasant walk. I pity the tourists who come to enjoy the scenic north coast scenery, as dodging dog mess is surely not an expected part of the itinerary.
By far the biggest menace, however, has to be the rise in the professional – and intimidating – dog walker. People who do this for a living will have among their midst a large number of highly qualified and trained individuals, but I ask how one person can possibly hope to control eight dogs. Such was my experience recently – one man with a mixed bag of aggressive and playful dogs of all sizes. Such a person cannot hope to control such a number, let alone monitor where they are all pooping as they bound off out of the van. I feel it has become a money-spinning matter, where quick and easy cash has been put way before public safety and hygiene. It is high time the authorities – Constables and States Members – take the dog issue by the scruff of the neck and deal with the whole matter, and not just cherry-pick easy issues.
I lose count of the number of times I see a dog walker with six or more dogs open the van at the beach car park, put headphones on and stride off with dogs following and defecating all over the place, with the supposedly responsible person oblivious to what is going on. It has to stop.
Why are dog walkers allowed by the States to walk so many dogs off the lead at once? Compare that to Hampshire where, in parts, the maximum number of dogs a person can walk at a single time is four. That would seem a far more sensible approach for the general public as well as the dog owner, who entrusts the pet to the dog walker.
Why are our politicians so spineless in dealing with this issue properly, so responsible owners and tourists can enjoy their hikes without them or their pets getting menaced, or having to spend their time looking downwards to avoid all the poo.
There is great charm in this Island, but the dog mess issue is sadly not confined to the few prime beaches.
