Owners must control their dogs

I have also been verbally attacked by dog owners when I have asked them to control their dogs.

I find myself increasingly reluctant to enjoy our wonderful local footpaths and cycle paths for fear of molestation and nuisance by dogs.

I have been attacked several times by packs of dogs.

The owners of the dogs made no effort whatsoever to control their dogs.

This has happened to me on the cycle path from Rye to Winchelsea and in the Rye Harbour Nature reserve. On one occasion recently, blood was drawn.

I see Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds, Rotweilers, and numerous dogs similar to Pit Bulls walked in these areas.

Even dogs with friendlier reputations such as Labradors have powerful jaws and can be frightening and dangerous when they become aggressive.

I also object to friendly dogs sniffing at me.

I sometimes ask dog owners to control their dogs explaining that I have been attacked by dogs and am frightened of them.

Most of these dog owners react aggressively and make no effort to control their dogs.

This problem could easily be improved by signs asking dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead in public places!

These signs could be combined with dog faeces signs so this measure could be very inexpensive to implement.

The provision of signs and bins for dog faeces have made a significant difference to the problem of dog fouling and signs regarding proper control of dogs would be useful similarly.

Dog control encouragement would make it possible for all of us to enjoy the beautiful countryside together.

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