Dog owners!

Well, I did mention that I am a dog lover and I look forward to walking our darling mutt wherever, whenever, but am always a bit trepidatious stepping out with him as he seems to be a natural target for aggressive, horny and occasionally vicious dogs, usually off the lead when they shouldn't be. I'm all in favour of dogs running free, which is why we go to Noordhoek, armed with our Wild Card, doggy bag, and these days a stick to ward off unwelcome aggressors. It's not turning out to be the healthy, stress free walk it's intended to be. It strikes me that it is always the dogs who should be on the leash who aren't, and they belong to the people who pointedly ignore the discomfort and fear they induce when their dogs make a beeline for mine, and either mount him or nip his neck or simply go beserk and go for the jugular. The most common retorts I've heard are, "He's just a puppy," or ,"he's only being friendly" (hiss, growl, gnash teeth and salivate) or even worse when one fat woman's labrador mounted our much smaller (male) dog the entire length of the beach without so much as trying to call him off, much to our discomfort and children's embarrassment, not to mention Rex's, "he's neutered!."

All this to say that I hadn't intended to raise this prickly point so early in the blog as there are so many other topics for discussion, but the mauling this week of a two year old on Clifton Beach by a Rottweiler gets my blood boiling. It's bad enough watching our beloved hound having to fight fang and claw for his life or dignity, but the thought of watching a toddler being dragged and attacked by a known vicious species of dog, in a place where dogs are vorboten is too much for me to countenance. Transpires the dog's owner is an "animal behaviourist"  whose dogs have previously attacked children. His " I'm not allowed to comment" statement must add fuel to fire of the traumatised family of the toddler who had to endure this attack and subsequent plastic surgery, and who knows what long term effects physically and psychologically. According to newspaper reports, she was lucky to escape with her life without an artery being severed. The poor dog has been impounded for being where it's owner should never have allowed him to roam and will doubtless be put down. What will happen to the owner I wonder?

As with children at school, the teachers tell me it's not so much the problem children as the problem parents...


Love from,


Rex and Suzy Q