Dear Editor:
This letter is not about the 90-95 per cent of dog owners who obey the law. It's about the five to 10 per cent who don't.
I walk around West Vancouver every day, usually fairly early in the morning, sometimes on the Seawalk and sometimes on the streets. Every day I see at least one and more often several dog owners flouting the law.
When politely spoken to along the lines of "Excuse me, but were you aware that: your dog should be behind the fence (on the Seawalk); is not allowed on this particular block; is not permitted on the school play ground, etc., etc.?" I am generally met with hostility and outright rudeness - anything from "Get a life" to "Mind your own business" to things that you can't print in a family newspaper.
Quite apart from the issue of where dogs are permitted and where not, we all see evidence every day of owners who do not pick up after their pets.
West Vancouver municipal staff have done an excellent job in posting signs indicating to dog owners what is expected of them and what is permitted where. Since there are those who routinely ignore these signs, it may be time to begin handing out fines to ensure compliance by those who think that the law does not apply to them.
Helen A. Janssen West Vancouver
