Swans and dogs and humans

What a sad story. One of the cygnets on Grahame Park open space has been killed in an attack by a dog - apparently goaded on by its owner. What a moron. I was getting all excited about the swans recently but behind my excitement was fear that something like this would happen.

I am a bit fed-up with dogs - even when they are not attacking swans. Or, rather, with dog-owners. I wish more dog-owners would think about the potential 'negative externalities' arising from their decision to enjoy the company of a pet, viz barking, shit and the possibility of someone getting bitten.

I was walking to my house one evening last winter when I saw a shape hurtling toward me through the semi-gloom, and heard the faint voice of its owner calling it back: 'Elvis, Elvis'. I hoped that whatever Elvis was, he wasn't going to tear my throat out. In the event Elvis just (just!) muddied my clothes, but the incident also scared me.

There is a patch of green in front of my house. Kids from the whole neighbourhood play on it, rolling in shit because dog-owners take their pets to relieve themselves on it morning and evening. What goes on in these people's heads? It would be a different thing if they were living in the countryside or even near a park with a bit of scrub, but this is a small patch of recreational ground. Clear up your own dog's shit!

I watched an item on BBC London news tonight about dangerous dogs owned by gangs. The police were confiscating and destroying some of them because they were dangerous, but I felt sorry for these vicious mutts, bred for their aggressiveness. I don't feel sorry for their owners when they are prosecuted.

Apparently Barnet police have a project called Barnet Action for Responsible K9s (BARK), which sounds like a good initiative. A better use of their time than warning off over-enthusiastic young politicos.