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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think dogs should be banned from beaches?

134 replies

Bedroomdilemma · 14/11/2020 10:58

At least during nesting season?
www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/14/study-adds-to-calls-to-ban-dogs-from-beaches-during-nesting-season-birds
Not that I’m anti-dog...I’m researching getting a dog. We go for a lot of walks at the moment (not much else to do😄) and I love looking at the dogs on our local beach but it’s also a nature reserve and I’m beginning to get a morally uncomfortable with it. It’s actually mostly a nature reserve for wintering birds so I’m not sure a ban just during nesting season is sufficient.

OP posts:
mrsmrt1981 · 14/11/2020 23:47

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion

Yes ban all dogs from all beaches, ban them from parks, make people keep them on leads at all times 🙄. Yet I can't leave my back door open or my windows open too wide because my neighbours cat comes in and eats the dogs food, or lies in my kids fucking beds, and there's about 6 in the street that wander around my garden, shitting in the flower bed, all out hunting birds and other animals, keeping everyone in street awake at night with their screeching. Apparently though everyone just finds it quite funny and acceptable for cats to kill other animals and enter other peoples property because they're cats so there's nothing that can be done.
I find it strange how a thread about protecting nesting birds from dogs on beaches has transpired into a thread about dog shit then about nuisance cats. Last time I checked cats aren’t a threat to nesting birds on beaches 🤔

You are in the minority with your cat problem. Most owners neuter their cats and actively discourage them from hunting (eg, bells on collars). At the end of the day there isn’t the same legislation around controlling cats that there is around controlling dogs because cats just aren’t that potentially dangerous. I have never stepped in cat shit, had to clean dog muck off my boots on Thursday. People are a much greater threat to our native song birds as we are destroying their natural habitat, yet we blame the cats. Scapegoat much. Leave the poor cats alone. They get a tough enough deal as it is.

jacks11 · 15/11/2020 00:35

We should also ban people- they are noisy/disruptive and leave a lot of rubbish. I’d say people are as problematic, if not more so, than dogs.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 15/11/2020 01:05

I dont think it's funny or acceptable, cats are also a menace to wildlife and the shit is a big problem

I don't either but so many cat owners on here do.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 15/11/2020 01:06

mrsmrt1981

The thread had ready turned into a dog shit thread 5 pages before my post, why not have moan about cats when they cause me more problems than dogs.

Mittens030869 · 15/11/2020 08:03

There would be a bigger problem with cats and dogs if they were banned from being pets. You would end up with strays and ferals that would breed rapidly and leave their shit everywhere. Pets tend to be neutered and vaccinated so they don't spread diseases.

I've spent periods of times in Africa, where feral cats and dogs are encouraged to forage for food because they keep the population of rodents down. There is then the risk of rabies; I remember there being a rabid dog around at one time.

I have three cats. As far as I know, they only shit in our garden, as we provide places where they can scratch and do their business.

Imapotato · 15/11/2020 11:49

People are the problem not the dogs.

DoubleTweenQueen · 15/11/2020 11:56

Training - obedience, recall and steadiness around wildlife? Sometimes not possible but a few owners don't do enough. Shame to spoil it for everyone - but I would agree with ban around nature reserves as too important to risk

DoubleTweenQueen · 15/11/2020 11:59

Love cats and dogs - it's some owners of either and none that are often the root cause of problems :D

3JsMa · 15/11/2020 12:00

Totally agree that in certain places like nature reserves etc. the dogs should be banned or not allowed to roam free.
Other than that,if well controlled by the owners I can't see the problem.
We have our favourite place in the South where there is no seasonal ban and I love seeing dogs on the beach.

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