The Star Letter in November's issue of Practical Caravan magazine (Caravan Chat page 10) outlines a cautionary tale from Mr Wayne Jones, the owner of a Cavalier King Charles spaniel which was with Mr Jones and on a lead, but which was set upon by the dog from the neighbouring caravan which was not on a lead.
The CKC spaniel had to undergo extensive vetinary treatment outside normal hours, and was kept for a couple of days by a specialist for treatment and monitoring, which has resulted in a possible bill of £1000.
The owner of the dog which was off it's lead and which attacked the spaniel is uninsured although he had offered to pay, and the saddest part of all is that despite the vetinary treatment the spaniel is now blind in it's left eye.
One can only hope that after such a nasty incident the injured spaniel recovers enough for his owners to continue caravanning and for the dog to enjoy it's life without being traumatised.
We are not dog owners ourselves, although I have kept dogs since I was a boy until I met my o/h, but no matter what site we visit and no matter where or when, in spite of there invariably being prominent notices which read: All Dogs Must Be On A Lead we always, without fail, see self styled 'responsible' dog owners strolling around the sites with at least one dog not on a lead of any kind.
Can't these people read? Do they think that the signage, and indeed the site rules, do not refer to them? Are they exempt from the rules or just plain stupid?
The strangest part is that, as often as not, the people who allow their dogs to wander about without leads often have more than one dog with them, so sometimes one or more of their dogs is on a lead but there always seems to be one belonging to them that isn't.
As they pass us my o/h, who has a phobia about dogs after being attacked as a child, either goes back inside our caravan or tries to get out of the way of these selfish idiots, who smile understandingly and say that the dog 'doesn't bite' and 'won't hurt us'.
Perhaps not, but by not following the rules these dog owners are curtailing the right of others, whether or not they are dog lovers, to enjoy their stay at the caravan site.
I bet the owner of the dog which blinded the neighbours dog never imagined that his dog would cause such harm but it did.
Rant over
, what do YOU think?
The CKC spaniel had to undergo extensive vetinary treatment outside normal hours, and was kept for a couple of days by a specialist for treatment and monitoring, which has resulted in a possible bill of £1000.
The owner of the dog which was off it's lead and which attacked the spaniel is uninsured although he had offered to pay, and the saddest part of all is that despite the vetinary treatment the spaniel is now blind in it's left eye.
One can only hope that after such a nasty incident the injured spaniel recovers enough for his owners to continue caravanning and for the dog to enjoy it's life without being traumatised.
We are not dog owners ourselves, although I have kept dogs since I was a boy until I met my o/h, but no matter what site we visit and no matter where or when, in spite of there invariably being prominent notices which read: All Dogs Must Be On A Lead we always, without fail, see self styled 'responsible' dog owners strolling around the sites with at least one dog not on a lead of any kind.
Can't these people read? Do they think that the signage, and indeed the site rules, do not refer to them? Are they exempt from the rules or just plain stupid?
The strangest part is that, as often as not, the people who allow their dogs to wander about without leads often have more than one dog with them, so sometimes one or more of their dogs is on a lead but there always seems to be one belonging to them that isn't.
As they pass us my o/h, who has a phobia about dogs after being attacked as a child, either goes back inside our caravan or tries to get out of the way of these selfish idiots, who smile understandingly and say that the dog 'doesn't bite' and 'won't hurt us'.
Perhaps not, but by not following the rules these dog owners are curtailing the right of others, whether or not they are dog lovers, to enjoy their stay at the caravan site.
I bet the owner of the dog which blinded the neighbours dog never imagined that his dog would cause such harm but it did.
Rant over