SS Rebuttal from Concerned Citizen

This is an extract from a letter written to DLR by a local concerned at the high-handed antics of the Seapoint Swimmers (SS):

Re: Seapoint Swimmers

Dear Sir,

I was astonished to discover that a group describing itself as the ‘Seapoint Swimmers’ has petitioned the council to purge Seapoint, Sandycove and Salthill beaches of dogs, at all times, and without exception.

This kind of lobbying is wholly objectionable. No group has the right to privatise public space, excluding individual members of the community on the thinnest of pretexts, let alone personal and psychological ones.

The same wearily familiar objections have been wheeled out yet again: that dogs are a fouling nuisance and a persistent menace to the safety and well being of any human unfortunate to come within their proximity.

Obviously the Seapoint Swimmers are too busy to let a few bothersome facts interfere with their prejudices: dog attacks are vanishingly rare and none have taken place on these beaches at all. The vast majority of responsible pet owners have their dogs under control at all times, so the spectacle of some canicular torrent sundering the limbs of anyone in its way owes much more to fevered imagination than recorded fact.

The same goes for fouling: most dog owners are scrupulous in removing their dogs’ leavings, and are even more sensitised to the need to do so on beaches. There are some, regrettably, who let the side down, and dog owners would be the first to shop these reprobates. But it’s simply unacceptable policy to inflict draconian punishments on an entire sub-group without even exploring the alternatives.

The Dogs Unleashed campaign is a powerful association with both the means and the motivation to ensure responsible dog ownership is embedded at all levels and in all locations. Rather than indulging the absurd panic-mongering of the Seapoint Swimmers and their private phobias, I strongly urge you to consult with the one mainstream body capable of making a lasting difference to all stakeholders.

There are times when dog owners, quite rightly, feel worn down with all this needless vilification. 

Yours faithfully

The SS Threat

We would like to draw your attention to an association called the Seapoint Swimmers (SS), claiming to represent  ‘the interest of the swimmers and users of Seapoint swimming facility’, who have put in a proposal in March to the council to make Seapoint, Salthill and  Sandycove  beaches completely dog free all year round.

Dogs Unleashed, on the other hand, propose that these beaches be dealt with as follows:

• Dogs on a leash at all times within the designated bathing area at Seapoint beach
• Dogs off-leash and under effective control at all times beyond any designated bathing area, (including the adjacent Salthill beach)
• Dogs on leash, within the designated bathing area of Sandycove and Killiney beaches for the summer holiday/lifeguard patrol season only

If the council decide to support the Seapoint Swimmers it will be very difficult in the future to get this ruling reversed. If this is something you feel strongly about we again ask you to write to your councillors stating that Seapoint Swimmers do not represent your views, as our elected representatives you call on them to take your view into account and request that they liaise with Dogs Unleashed to find an amicable outcome that will include all users of the beaches at all times of the year.

Letter from Our Chairperson to Minister Simon Coveney

Dear Minister Coveney

I write to you as founder and chairperson of Dogs Unleashed, the citizens campaign in DunLaoghaire Rathdown County (DLR), by responsible dog owners, to amend local ‘dog control’ bye-laws that contravene as many as three of the five basic freedoms of all dogs.

DLR are currently reviewing our beach bye-laws and have offered dog owners one concession to allow us to exercise our dogs off-leash, outside designated bathing areas, before 10am and after 7pm. These proposed amendments are quite inadequate, unreasonable, in particular for the elderly and those who are handicapped, as well as being superficial and totally undermining responsible dog ownership. They completely fail to tackle the two key issues of dog fouling and the anti-social minority of irresponsible dog owners who actually allow their dogs to cause any sort of a nuisance or harm to the public.

We understand that the proposed Animal Welfare Bill will enshrine the Five Freedoms to all animals under human care into national legislation and ask you to request the Minister of the Environment to write to our County Manager asking how DLR proposes to accommodate their policies within the remit of the new bill.

As it stands now, 2009 beach bye-laws state that dogs must be on a leash at all times on all beaches

Also, 2003 parks bye-laws state that dogs must be on a leash at all times, with the exceptions of all of Killiney Hill and four undersized and completely inadequate dog areas in Deerpark, Marlay, Cabinteely and Shanganagh parks.

These laws and the proposed amendments stand in opposition to the widely accepted facts that confining a dog to a leash at all times on our beaches and in our parks is detrimental to animal welfare and to their freedom of expression. Vets and companion dog behaviorists advise that all dogs need the freedom to express normal behaviour such as sniffing, chasing, fetching, swimming, and socializing in the company of other dogs while under the effective control of their owners. These professionals further advise limited use of the totally inadequate spaces provided by DLR as harbingers of disease, and causes of physical and mental stress to dogs through concentrated usage. The DSPCA, ISPCA, Dogs Trust and others are supportive of our efforts in this regard.

Dogs Unleashed believes that everyone in society- and particularly those who make laws about them - has responsibilities towards animals. This responsibility depends upon citizens having sufficient knowledge and understanding of the impact of their actions on animal welfare. We have offered to work in partnership with our council and to develop programmes promoting responsible and accountable dog ownership in return for balanced and fair bye-laws that promote the many physical and mental health benefits of dogs in society. However, our offers to cooperate and to work in partnership have, thus far, been largely ignored. 

We ask for your attention to this matter, and invite you to contact us for any further information. We are at your disposal to sit down with you to discuss.

 
Sincerely
   Liz Neligan
 

  ----------------------------------------
  Liz Neligan
  Chairperson
  Ph: +353-87-244 9936 <tel:%2B353-87-244%209936>  <tel:%2B353-87-244%209936>
  www.dogs-unleashed.org <http://www.dogs-unleashed.org>  <http://www.dogs-unleashed.org> 

Irish Guide Dogs for Blind Looking for Volunteers

Volunteer Recruitment Evening - Dublin South
Wednesday 14 March, 2012
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind is looking for volunteers to support their fundraising efforts in South Dublin

Join us on Wednesday, 14th March to find out how you can get involved. Meet some of our staff, volunteers and clients, including local fundraisers, who have been actively supporting us for many years. We have a host of exciting projects and events coming up and there's sure to be something of interest for everyone to get involved in.

Venue: Radisson Blu, St Helen's Hotel, Stillorgan, Dublin

Time: 8:00pm

RSVP: Finbarr Roche on  <mailto:finbarr@guidedogs.ie> finbarr@guidedogs.ie or call 1850 506 300.

If you can't attend on the night but would still like to volunteer, please call us to find out more about volunteering at Irish Guide Dogs.

Kind regards
Delia Webster
Communications
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind
Model Farm Road, Cork
Tel: (021) 487 8203
Cell: 087 640 2716
E-mail: deliawebster@guidedogs.ie
Website: www.guidedogs.ie <http://www.guidedogs.ie/>

The Brady Bunch

An amusing article in yesterday's Dublin People on Cormac Brady's submission to DLR on the proposed amendments to the beach bye laws:  http://www.dublinpeople.com/article.php?id=890&l=100

Dentist Brady is chairperson of the Seapoint Swimmers association. He conflates grandiosely the narrow interests of the Seapoint Swimmers Association and the greater public good. He also seems to think that being "highly organised" is not a good thing. One fears for the smooth functioning of the association he chairs. He alludes to the "well connected" people who support the Dogs Unleashed campaign as if this in some way diminishes its case. We can only presume that the Seapoint Swimmers are all honest to God proles riding their rusty bikes to their daily ablutions. With enemies like Brady who needs friends.

DLR to Ban Walking Outdoors?

In its campaign to constrain our dogs DLR CC and certain councillors (step forward Mr. Humphreys) have painted a lurid picture of the clear and present danger presented by Toxocariasis. According to the latest statistics from the UK (see link below) your chances of being infected from dog faeces are 1 in 5,900,000 - let's say 1 in 6 million (there were 10 cases in a population of 59 million). Your chances of being struck by lightning are 1 in 500,000 (see second link below). Therefore we are twelve times more likely to be struck by lightning as we walk on our beaches. This does not of course mean that we should be blase about dog shit - but it does suggest that it's more an aesthetic issue than the brown plague intimated by the anti-dog lobby.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Toxocariasis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_strike

Cllr. Victor Boyhan's Support

CALL FOR COMMON SENSE TO PREVAIL – ON DOG DEBATE

Submissions deadline date: Monday 20th February 2012

Cllr. Victor Boyhan said he had only received one letter in favour of the proposed Beach Bylaws that cover the shoreline area of Booterstown, Blackrock, Seapoint, Sandycove, and Killiney. While hundreds of emails and letters had come into my office opposing the “unreasonable and irrational restriction on dogs and their owners”

“I have always found the Dogs Unleashed Citizens Campaign very willing to engage in a constructive way with the councillors and community groups in this debate. - I support their campaigns Key Objectives.”

“Their objectives are both fair and responsible, as a council we have a responsibility to listen and response to the needs of citizens and take on board their concerns.”

“I hope common sense will prevail and am again calling on all sides of this debate to actively engage with one and other with a view to finding a consensus that can be reflected in any new Beach Bye-Laws.” Cllr. Boyhan concluded.


HAVE YOUR SAY! – Last date for submissions is Monday 20th February 2012.


Cllr. Victor Boyhan

Independent County Councillor
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council