Irresponsible dog owners share blame

I FEEL terribly sorry for the 13-year-old Bradford boy who has recently been so badly harmed by a dog and I do hope that he will very soon completely recover (Yorkshire Post, August 20). I also hope that the incident won’t put him off dogs for life.

However, that said, how many more dogs are going to be put to death because of irresponsible owners? Having read that this dog was actually being teased, obviously it was not entirely to blame.

I have had dogs for almost the whole of my life until comparatively recently when I am not sufficiently fit to cope with one and in fact many years ago we had to lose a beautiful golden cocker spaniel because it bit my son when I just happened to be out of the room for a very short while.

We were convinced that happened because some time beforehand the dog had been teased by a small boy next door through the fence and when my son grew to resemble the little boy, a fair-haired toddler, it was a case of mistaken identity.

Being obliged to lose our beautiful animal brought great sadness because he was certainly a treasure and having lost my father when he was quite young, having the dog from being a pup and watching his amusing antics very often made me laugh when I felt very much more like crying. I always thought we had let down a wonderful, loyal animal, although, of course, actually we were in no way to blame.

I’m afraid I strongly feel that unless people really understand dogs and the different breeds they should not be allowed to have them, but I doubt very little could ever be done on that score.

Planning and profit seeking

From: Coun Elizabeth Nash (Lab), City & Hunslet Ward, Leeds City Council.

I HAVE yet again to respond to Rob Elliott’s letter (Yorkshire Post, August 22). To attribute to me that “no one would want to live in a house built on a brown field site” is ridiculous.

My constituents in Hunslet would love to have an affordable family house in the area in which they grew up, where they now work and where the travel time to the city centre is short.

I am constantly calling for more family houses in the inner city of Leeds. It is the developers who prefer to build on the periphery of the city on green field sites where they may reap a better return on their investment. Councils cannot force them to build on brown field sites. It is not a case of my excusing councils by blaming someone else. In March 2012, the Government issued the National Planning Policy Framework. Councils have to find land for an estimated five year supply of housing. Mr Elliott’s assertion that there are sufficient brown field sites to fill the Government requirements is pure supposition and is incorrect as far as Leeds is concerned. Not all agricultural land is designated Green Belt and, unfortunately, this Government instruction has given the green light for developers to go for the easier and more profitable green field sites first.

As far as designated Green Belt is concerned that is still protected – or so we all thought. Leeds very recently turned down two planning applications to build in Green Belt in Horsforth on the Leeds outskirts. At an appeal by the developers, the Government Planning Inspector overruled the council and allowed them! His decision was endorsed by the Secretary of State for Communities Eric Pickles.

Expressing concerns

From: Stephen W Watson, Whincover Grange, Farnley, Leeds.

HERE in Leeds we are to be given the NGT – New Generation Transport. This sounds very sexy, doesn’t it? Enthusiasts for trolley buses should note that the corporation of the City of Bradford abandoned this mode of transport many years ago.

The HS2 also has enthusiastic support. True, at present we have no high speed trains to London. We only have stopping trains. All journeys take at least two hours. What is stopping the railway operators from running early morning and late night express trains between Leeds and London?

During a time of recession when the public services are suffering drastic cuts to their budgets, how can we afford, as a nation, to make these huge expenditures on new projects? A more modest expenditure on new British-made buses and trains would seem to me to be more in order.

Career that’s just the job

From: H Marjorie Gill, Clarence Drive, Menston.

PERHAPS it might pay to find out what job each unemployed person would like to do if they were able to accomplish their ideal employment.

Perhaps I’m wrong, but would it be true to say that people are offered jobs which their present skills suit them for, rather than seeing whether they would be prepared to work at being able to do a job which is more attractive than the ones they are offered?

I know that careers officials do try to find jobs for people and of course some people have no special wishes rather than to earn a bit/lot of cash to have a night out etc and others wish to be a dancer or entertainer, but perhaps more might be tempted if they thought that some of their aspirations might be attainable – even if not quite in the fashion they had in mind.

I also wondered if the people who are in employment have been asked how much they like their jobs and find it satisfying if not what don’t they like or what part of the job do they enjoy?

Having tasted employment, would they be prepared to spend more time learning new skills or even go to night school to learn different skills to get a job more to their taste?