Early this month signs appeared at the sports ground on the corner of Regent and New York Streets. These signs simply state ‘No dogs allowed’.
The appearance of the signs made me angry for 2 reasons:
There was no advance notice that this was going to happen, to give me time to source an alternate dog-walking area.
The council does not actually provide an off-leash dog-walking area in Martinborough.
I shifted to Martinborough 16 months ago, bringing 2 pups with me. When I enquired about off-leash dog-walking areas, I was told that there was no official place, but that unofficially dogs were walked at the sportsground.
As a responsible dog-owner, I take my dogs (both registered and microchipped) for a daily walk, always taking a bag with me to pick up any mess they make. Until recently this walk used to regularly include the sportsground, usually from Monday to Friday, avoiding the weekends due to possible sports fixtures.
The council website states:
‘Council is working with Community Boards on finding off leash dog areas in Martinborough and Greytown.’
A friend of mine phoned the Council about the signs and was told that she would be fined if she continued to walk her dog at the sportsground. When she asked where she could walk her dog off-leash she was told to go to the river or to Featherston.
As a non-driver, going to either the river or Featherston with my dogs is not an option. Let alone the fact that the river often has toxic bacteria warnings (another council issue).
Is the issue about litter?
If the issue with the sportsground is one of dog owners not clearing up after their dogs, then that is essentially an issue of litter. Walking around the sportsground I often come across litter – usually left after sports fixtures/practices. This includes empty bottles and cans, as well as discarded food containers/scraps. And when someone let off fireworks at the sportsground (last Guy Fawkes) they left behind all spent fireworks as well as the box the fireworks came in (it’s still on the groundsIf the sportsground was made a litter-free area, then fines could apply to all users of the grounds, whether canine or human.
Is the issue about safety?
If the issue with the sportsground is one of safety of the humans using the sportsground, then normal dog policy rules apply (dogs must be under the control of their owners, dangerous dogs must be muzzled etc).
And what about people (including adults) using the sportsgrounds to ride their motorbikes? I have witnessed this at least 3 times
I feel that the least the Council can do is to let dog-walkers continue to use the sportsground until they provide an alternative leash-free area in Martinborough.
Petition
If I can get the permission of Pain & Kershaw, I will put up a petition there to ask the Council to consider these proposals.
Adrienne Sutcliffe
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