Editor:
While I love the hustle and bustle of the summer crowds, one of the things I love about living here is that we locals get a little more space in the winter.
The idea of filling of that boardwalk space with dogs, when there is often not enough space for the humans, is absurd.
Fortunately, we have wrapped up the trial period of allowing dogs on the boardwalk, which I would say by most accounts was a flop. To support this, please refer to the various letters to the editors in the PAN, specifically the Jan. 17 and March 20, 2020 editions, where you will see a picture of my dog.
During Christmas, some of my well-meaning, visiting family took the kids to check out the fish-covered beach, while my husband and I were at work.
They took the dog, too. The boardwalk and the pier were crowded.
It wasn’t until they were almost at the end of the pier when they were approached by bylaw, facing a $200 ticket. They had no idea they were breaking the rules.
The irony here is two-fold: first, this was the only time my dog has ever been on the pier, and it only happened because my tourist relatives didn’t know they were doing anything wrong.
When they found out, they were horrified and hurried off the pier.
Secondly, my dog is small, old and generally well-behaved, as are her people.
What about the big dogs, the aggressive dogs, the dogs whose people don’t scoop?
In my opinion, dogs were a problem before they were allowed on the boardwalk. I have been tripped by a leash while running, jumped on, barked at and, while with my family on the grass, put my hand in a pile of excrement.
Bottom line: there simply aren’t enough enforcement officers, signage or space as it is; allowing dogs in the “off-season” doesn’t fix those problems and clearly creates more.
Let’s bring back crowds in the summer, and peace in the winter to White Rock.
Liz Clarke, White Rock
