Canine consternation

Near my suburban home is a large undulating area of rough grassland, ancient hedgerows and mixed woodland. I used to enjoy peaceful walks there, away from the noise of the traffic on the surrounding roads. But it is tranquil no longer.

Years ago I would meet the odd friendly dog owner escorting a well-behaved pet, but nowadays I pass growing numbers of noisy dog walkers who have no idea how to control their charges. They shriek at their wayward mutts, even though the animals clearly have no intention of obeying their commands. Instead, the creatures race about wherever they please, sometimes dashing over to me to put their muddy paws on my clean clothes. Instead of an apology, all I get is: “He [or she] only wants to be friendly.”

Adding to the annoyance are those dog owners who spot an acquaintance across the width of a meadow and engage in a shouted conversation clearly audible to anyone on the far side of the next field but one. To make matters worse, it is also now common to encounter dog walkers screeching into mobile phones while ignoring their pets.

But the biggest change has been the rise of the paid dog walker, who arrives with a vanload of pooches collected from owners who cannot be bothered to exercise the fleabags themselves. These “professional” dog walkers all seem to know one another and often congregate for a loud chat, which is constantly disrupted as they break off to yell at individuals among the dozens of mutts rampaging around them.

All this canine commotion may well have contributed to the sad disappearance of wildlife such as rabbits and partridges from the area in recent years.

Perhaps the law should forbid dog walkers from unleashing their charges unless the animals have been properly trained.

Personally I would like to see them all put down. But who would then look after the dogs?