Page 21 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #06

OPINION

MELISSA

HARRISON

NOTHING DIVIDES WILDLIFE LOVERS MORE THAN
PET OWNERSHIP, BUT I THINK BANNING DOGS
FROM NATURE RESERVES IS MISSING THE POINT.

Q OPINION

obody is more irritated by seeing them doing the things that make have, too. And then an opportunity for
irresponsible dog owners them happy – and love makes us blind. education and behavioural change is lost.
than responsible ones. You Yet I was sad when, on a visit to a new In an ideal world, all pet owners would
invest all that effort, money reserve that hadn’t yet opened, I was told have to undergo training, as would the
and time into training a dog that dogs would be banned year-round. Dog animals in their charge. And in an ideal
Nnot to jump up, and to come owners make up a vast proportion of the world nobody would drop litter, pick rare
to your call; you carry knotted bags around people who regularly visit parks and green wildflowers, light fires, disturb sensitive
for hours in search of a bin – and then spaces, and because of this habitats, picnic where
your hard work is ruined by idiots who let are more likely than the YOUR HARD they’re not allowed, tuck
their dogs off around livestock or ground- general population to be ` used nappies under
nesting birds, chuck bagged poo into the lovers of the outdoors. WORK AS A bushes, discard energy
undergrowth, or leave it dangling from This is a constituency RESPONSIBLE DOG gel wrappers on runs,
trees. If I can behave responsibly, you think that’s outdoors daily, OWNER IS RUINED leave fishing lines in
to yourself, why the hell can’t you? and in all weathers – streams, play loud
Just as there are many people who drop something that for me BY IDIOTS WHO music or clog up
litter, there are plenty of dog owners who and many others has had LET THEIR PETS narrow country lanes
don’t consider the impact of their pet on the a transformative effect with their cars. But this
environment – and, as a result, some feel on our lives. Dog owners’ OFF THE LEAD isn’t an ideal world, and
that dogs should be barred from some of sheer level of contact with NEAR LIVESTOCK.” it never will be. The sad
the country’s most beautiful and wildlife- nature puts them first fact is that we humans
rich spots, including nature reserves. I’ve in line to be champions are a messy and self-
asked myself whether they have a point. of it: to campaign for its regarding bunch.
Years ago I had a cat, and while I knew, protection, to fight against its loss. Our ongoing loss of contact with nature
of course, that he visited other people’s Sure, you might say; they can walk their is worrying: not just because it’s bad
gardens, it didn’t really dogs elsewhere and for us as individuals, but because it lies
Melissa: Brian Dav d Stevens; landscape: R A Kearton/Getty; Melissa and Scout: Penny Dixie
strike me as a problem still visit a reserve behind a lot of the environmental harm
– until I got a garden Melissa enjoys without them – but we cause. If we’re to counter it we have to
and, cat-less, saw the a walk with her that’s just not how it accept a certain level of impact, whether
dog Scout.
w
situation from the works. You want to that’s litter or the effect of footfall.
other side of the fence. enjoy a walk, and you That’s not to say we should shrug when,
Suddenly it seemed want your dog to be for example, dogs worry livestock – far from
w
bizarre that I was w it. In fact, as well as better education,
with you; you’ll go
expected to tolerate somewhere else rather penalties for owners should be increased.
other people’s animals than do two walks. But shutting out the 26 per cent of people
Banning dogs might
climbing in uninvited, B in the UK who own a dog is short-sighted,
defecating in my d and runs counter to the far more pressing
deal with the problems
a
flowerbeds and killing a few irresponsible project of getting more of us outdoors.
o
‘my’ garden birds. owners cause, but it
will also exclude a lot
We pet-owners need w MELISSA HARRISON is a nature writer and
novelist. Her new book All Among the Barley
o
to recognise that our of highly engaged,
(Bloomsbury, £14.99) is out in August.
perspective is highly c committed outdoor
partisan. We love our t types – and any O WHAT DO YOU THINK? We would love to know
your opinion about dogs and wildlife. Write to us or
c
animals, we enjoy children they might send an email – details can be found on p100.
June 2018 BBC Wildlife 21