Regarding your piece in the Echo on Saturday 9th March 2019, (dog owner fined).

We hear so many times that dogs have attacked livestock, animals, blind dogs, children or people. They are owned by selfish and careless people not caring about anyone else. Non dog owners cannot go for something to eat without dogs scratching, shaking their fur everywhere or begging around your legs. Not everyone retires to Weymouth just so they can walk their dogs on the Esplanade and beach.

I, like so many others, have retired to Weymouth without a dog and like to walk along the Esplanade, beach or in a park without running the gauntlet of one to three dogs, on metre long leads, taking up the whole path or off the leads weeing all over the the place. I have seen dogs pooing in the sea or on the beach and when you question why the owners are not picking it up, they often reply, “haven’t you got anything better to do!”

Finally, who decided that Dorset is a dog friendly county? The tourist board, the RSPCA or were all the residents in Dorset consulted? Dogs should be banned from the Esplanade and beach all year round, then everybody would know where they stand.

Kind regards

Peter Harley

Address supplied