Re: Oak Bay to consider new off-leash area (News Oct. 16).
The article said that Oak Bay council is considering more off-leash areas for dogs, and the expenditure of public funds to fence those areas for the benefit of dog owners.
It also reported that “Oak Bay residents love their dogs.”
I am an Oak Bay resident. When I was a child my family owned two dogs. I have worked around dogs that served a useful purpose in the agricultural industry. I respect dogs, and I must acknowledge the love affair that some people in our society have with their dogs as pets. However, I do not have a love affair with any member of the canine species, and I firmly believe that dogs that serve no useful purpose in our society are no more necessary to it that yet another body tattoo.
Simply put, dogs that perform no necessary purpose are a dog owner’s indulgence or hobby.
I am absolutely opposed to Oak Bay council using my tax dollars to support someone else’s hobby or indulgence.
I have never asked government to contribute financially to any of my hobbies or indulgences, and I don’t want government to contribute my hard earned tax dollars to someone else’s.
If a dog is so poorly managed that it cannot be controlled effectively by its owner without being on a leash, then the dog should continue to be kept on the leash.
Bruce Filan
Oak Bay