LETTER – Something has to be done to enforce the leashing of dogs

To see and hear the fatal attack by an off-leash dog in a park in the Lower Mainland has left me in an emotional uproar.  The owner of the small dog has been left traumatized and in mourning.

When is the message ever going to land home with people that attacks by off-leash dogs can be devastating?  “My dog is friendly” is a common expression heard coming from the owner of an off-leash dog.  Then the unthinkable happens and all hell breaks loose.

Our own dog, Buddy, was attacked by an off-leash dog in early December 2023.  The owner of the other dog came and picked up her Boston Terrier and simply said that she should have had her dog on a leash.  She never apologized nor did she leave contact information in case our dog needed veterinary care.

Just before Christmas my wife and I were stuck with hundreds of dollars in vet bills as our dog’s left nostril had been punctured and got infected.  It has recently become an issue again and compresses of Epsom salts might not be enough to control things; he may again need a course of antibiotics.  There are risks associated with that.  And all of these things may have been prevented had the woman’s dog been on a leash.

At the coast, in front of several people and replayed on social media and news media, a small dog was attacked and fatally mauled by a much larger and more powerful dog.  The owner of the larger dog walked away like a coward with her dog.

I just wish that our “bylaw departments” at the Coast and here in Kamloops looked upon the leashing of dogs more seriously.  Posting signs doesn’t seem to do it.  Enforcement and fines might be the prescription.  Something needs to be done.

JOHN NOAKES
Citizen of Westmount