That’s a bit naughty Rachel - I saw that and went ‘ugh’ and tried to flick it off the screen 
Brain must be slow today 
Here here (or is it hear hear)? 
I think we’ve done this one to death. Mark has his thoughts and others have theirs - they’re just very different and nothing will alter. Perhaps a little bit more give and take needed? 
Poor Mark 
we have already got him running in 'Tena for men ’ and now you want him to run in wellingtons too Karen , what will it be next I wonder
Hmmmmm, it is my experience that dogs give and cats take … what is that Mark?,
Dunno. Too deep for me ;-).
Oh good shot Meg - two references in one thread
Aww poor Mark, you’ll never live that one down
I need say no more.
Killer dogs’ owners in England and Wales could face life in prison
Though better not buy a snake instead.
I doubt too many dog owners wouldn’t agree owners who allow their dogs to kill or maim should be brought to book. So not quite sure what your point is.
Well my point is it was a dog that did the killing :shock:.
But no one was arguing dogs couldn’t/wouldn’t kill.
Exactly :-D.
Well that obviously meant something to you.
Something that does upset me is the number of guide dogs and therapy dogs being attacked lately. These kind, intelligent, highly trained dogs don’t even know how to fight back. I heard on the news that there is one per week attacked by other dogs now - wicked. There is always some who make it bad for the rest of us. 
I guess my question is… What is your position? Do you believe owning dogs should be illegal, or allowing them off private property should be banned? I’m not sure I understand what you want.
I agree that ferrel dogs can be dangerous. BUT again, that falls back on irresponsible people who allow their animals to run free and unattended. Dogs will form packs. That’s their nature. It’s their nature to hunt in packs. Dog packs need to be controlled and if possible trace them to deadbeat owners. But should responsible people be denied the right to have a beloved companion because of the irresponsibility of others?
The position with dog owners and their pets is a pretty unique one. I mean cat owners don’t find their animals attacking people do they. I do question the right of anyone to own a dog.
I can see the benefits of owning such an animal for the elderly especially, and of course a trained guide dog is invaluable, as well as the role they play in law enforcement, but there appears to be far too many of them now as no-doubt there are far too many of us.
Many areas of the UK - as elsewhere - have expanded with more people living in certain towns / villages. Along with this increase is the increase in dog ownership. Recreational areas, which are frequented by walkers, joggers and ramblers, are now finding a great many more dog owners using the same areas. I mean there are dogs everywhere but more so where the grass is greener. You would be hard pressed to go anywhere locally where I live and not see a dog.
Therefore I question the need for all these dogs and I also question whether many owners should be owners at all. There must surely come a time when there are too many dogs, if we are not already there that is.
As long as the dogs are well looked after and you don’t seem to be saying any are not being well looked after it’s no business of anyone else who has a dog. Dogs are fantastic members of the family, bit furrier than us but family members never the less.
It seems your dislike of dogs runs much deeper than just problems you have running. So not much more to be said as nothing will change your mind.
Only answer to the running problems have already been suggested so slow down and let walkers have a chance. If you really can’t share our walking spaces perhaps a treadmill might be better for you though.
That’s how I feel - barking up the wrong tree
Only answer to the running problems have already been suggested so slow down and let walkers have a chance. If you really can’t share our walking spaces perhaps a treadmill might be better for you though.
I was driving home earlier and watched a pack of runners (about 40 of them) absolutely hogging the pavement and I wondered where other pedestrians would have to walk as the runners literally took up the whole pavement. Then, as I knew they would, ran out into the side road without even looking left first. If it wasn’t for the trauma caused to the driver, I’d think ‘serves them right if they get hit’.
I have read most of this thread and can only repeat what I’ve said in other posts.
I don’t have statistics available to me right now, but the number of children (or adults) killed by dogs is absolutely miniscule compared to the number killed through neglect and violence from their “carer” and those killed as pedestrians or in car accidents. And yet nobody is calling for the restriction on cars. - I wonder if this is anything to do with money?
The cost to the NHS through dog bites is less than £1m per year (I seem to recall it is significantly less but I don’t have my figures).
I do think dogs and their owners have become a soft target. I think I’d much rather come face to face with a offlead dog in a park than a 4x4 on the country lanes where I live any day.
I get that you don’t like dogs - I get that dogs scare you. Sadly for you - it looks like they’re here to stay.
Where I live, dogs are rarely a problem (other than the odd “weapon dog” owned by our delightful local drug dealers an issue which the police seem unwilling to address). Cats, on the other hand are a huge problem. In my little cul-de-sac, every front garden has lost plants because they have been ripped up by cats defecating all over them. Every Wednesday morning we have to put our rubbish bags out for the dustmen and within an hours the streets are strewn with waste after the cats rip the bags to shreds. Cats may not attack people, but they do cause significant and consistent nuisance.
I agree that we should question the right of anyone to own a dog. In almost every case of a dog attack on a human, the responsibility lays squarely on the human owner. As I suggested on another thread - we need dog licences but it is the humans who need licensing not the dogs.
Yes, it has crossed my mind more than once that cats should be involved in my argument on the right to own a pet.
That is a staggering amount of wildlife that has met their doom at domestic cat’s paws. Do we want zillions of dogs and cats or do we need to consider more the impact they have on us humans and native wildlife?
By the way I am not afraid of dogs or dislike cats. I have owned both in my time. It never-the-less p****** me off, and a number of my friends, on the constant threat they pose to us. Who is more important here us or damn dogs (and cats)?