Cyprus dog owners complain too much
Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:56 am
While Cyprus fulfills its obligations on dog beaches, I agree with many that the effort is somewhat halfhearted.
However, I am of the mind that the dog beaches announced last week are a darn sight better than nothing.
I’m losing my patience with dog owners who somehow think that whatever the authorities establish is somehow never enough for their pets.
Most comments I hear about the local dog beaches near Achelia and Neo Chorio is that they are remote, unkempt, unpleasant and regular beaches should be made available instead.
I hear umpteen comparisons to dog beaches owners have experienced elsewhere which had all the bells and whistles, including cafés for dog owners, dogwashing facilities, kiosks selling doggy snacks, speed dating for dogs looking for a mate, pedicures for bitches and tattoos for both genders plus canine counseling.
(Okay, I’m being facetious about these last three points, but sometimes I think such features are not too far off what many dog owners expect for their pets).
I have noticed that many dog owners have a blind spot about their pets. Because they love them, they think everyone else should.
Because the dog has never turned on them, they are convinced it will never turn on anyone and nobody should be afraid of it.
Because they think their pet should be entitled to walk along any available beach, they think everyone should feel the same way.
But the fact is that some people are afraid of dogs. Some like them, but are concerned about canine hygiene in public areas. Others simply downright dislike them.
Nothing any dog owner says or does is going to change this overnight.
Beach killing
Does anyone remember, around 10 years ago, how a Paphos teacher just starting his summer holiday was rammed and killed by a twincab driver on a Polis beach who was incensed that the man was walking a dog there?
In this horrible incident, the dog was killed as well.
Add this kind of scenario to dog poisonings and the filthy looks anyone who has walked a dog around a residential area gets from neighbours and a picture emerges of an environment that is, sadly, often unwelcoming for dogs.
Against this unfortunate backdrop, surely dog owners should make the most of the beaches designated for their pets?
Apart from anything else, it isn’t fair to put an animal at risk just because its owner has no tolerance for other people’s fear or dislike of dogs.
I’m beginning to wonder if the dog owners who I hear complaining about what is on offer are actually unhappy that the dog beaches are unpleasant for them rather than for their dogs.
I write this because I have walked along the dog beach at Achelia and I have never seen any miserable dogs there.
I’ve seen them ecstatically tearing along the surf, barking joyfully at the sea and frolicking around with new canine playmates.
I don’t think dogs are complaining about their beaches and surely that is the main thing.
source:- http://in-cyprus.com/cyprus-dog-owners- ... -too-much/
However, I am of the mind that the dog beaches announced last week are a darn sight better than nothing.
I’m losing my patience with dog owners who somehow think that whatever the authorities establish is somehow never enough for their pets.
Most comments I hear about the local dog beaches near Achelia and Neo Chorio is that they are remote, unkempt, unpleasant and regular beaches should be made available instead.
I hear umpteen comparisons to dog beaches owners have experienced elsewhere which had all the bells and whistles, including cafés for dog owners, dogwashing facilities, kiosks selling doggy snacks, speed dating for dogs looking for a mate, pedicures for bitches and tattoos for both genders plus canine counseling.
(Okay, I’m being facetious about these last three points, but sometimes I think such features are not too far off what many dog owners expect for their pets).
I have noticed that many dog owners have a blind spot about their pets. Because they love them, they think everyone else should.
Because the dog has never turned on them, they are convinced it will never turn on anyone and nobody should be afraid of it.
Because they think their pet should be entitled to walk along any available beach, they think everyone should feel the same way.
But the fact is that some people are afraid of dogs. Some like them, but are concerned about canine hygiene in public areas. Others simply downright dislike them.
Nothing any dog owner says or does is going to change this overnight.
Beach killing
Does anyone remember, around 10 years ago, how a Paphos teacher just starting his summer holiday was rammed and killed by a twincab driver on a Polis beach who was incensed that the man was walking a dog there?
In this horrible incident, the dog was killed as well.
Add this kind of scenario to dog poisonings and the filthy looks anyone who has walked a dog around a residential area gets from neighbours and a picture emerges of an environment that is, sadly, often unwelcoming for dogs.
Against this unfortunate backdrop, surely dog owners should make the most of the beaches designated for their pets?
Apart from anything else, it isn’t fair to put an animal at risk just because its owner has no tolerance for other people’s fear or dislike of dogs.
I’m beginning to wonder if the dog owners who I hear complaining about what is on offer are actually unhappy that the dog beaches are unpleasant for them rather than for their dogs.
I write this because I have walked along the dog beach at Achelia and I have never seen any miserable dogs there.
I’ve seen them ecstatically tearing along the surf, barking joyfully at the sea and frolicking around with new canine playmates.
I don’t think dogs are complaining about their beaches and surely that is the main thing.
source:- http://in-cyprus.com/cyprus-dog-owners- ... -too-much/
