Your damn dog escaped and ran amok through my backyard where I was weeding this morning, scaring the hell out of me, and I yelled at you to remove him ‘cos you were breaking the law. Yet again animal owners need to be reminded that your animal is NOT entitled to do what it wants and your animal running loose is illegal (by-law A-700). To you, he’s an adorable “member of the family.” To me, he’s an animal with teeth and claws that can inflict injury and property damage.
And teach your cats to crap in an effing litter box and NOT in my garden beds that I have slaved over! I’m sick of the shit, stink, and flies. It shows such disrespect and contempt for neighbours who live quietly and don’t bother anyone. There needs to be a public awareness campaign by HRM so animal owners can’t claim ignorance of by-law A-700. Moreover, the onus of law enforcement should not be on ordinary citizens. “Complaint-driven,” my arse! What are we paying you salaried by-law officers and cops for?
—Peaceable gardener
This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2018.
Wow. Pretty sure no one would ever be charged with a bylaw infraction for their dog escaping if it were an accident and merely ran to the neighbour without inflicting any harm. May I suggest some therapy if youre this upset by the animal population? I am afraid theyre likely not going anywhere, so I anticipate a lot of turmoil in your future. Also, I feel like by-law enforcement and certainly the police have better things to do than patrol neighbourhoods just in case a dog suddenly escapes its backyard or following cats to see where they poop. Id be rather upset if I saw the police doing that instead of, you know, fighting actual crime.