Keeping dogs under control is the answer

mike Gillson (Yorkshire Post, April 26) poses the question how can micro-chips stop dogs attacking people. Indeed they can’t: they are simply an up-to-date attempt to replace the dog licence which had become – excuse the pun in this context – a toothless regulation.

In recent years I have had the pleasure of walking my son’s greyhound, by common consent a docile breed though I would never trust any canine one hundred per cent. I rein her in whenever we meet another dog and expect other dog walkers to do the same. Often this is not the case and our greyhound, normally uninterested in other dogs, takes exception to being rushed at, sniffed at or whatever by bearing her teeth.

This usually elicits an apology from the owner of the intrusive dog but on one occasion an owner went on the offensive. “That dog should have a muzzle on” he shouted. I replied that his dog should be on a lead.

Your correspondent asserts that the only way to stop dogs biting people is to muzzle them. He is right. However, as well as cutting a daunting figure, a large dog can inflict plenty of damage without biting. Some dog lovers are thoughtless.

“He won’t hurt you,” they say. Maybe, but the paper-boy/girl doesn’t know that. Nor do owners always know their animals as well as they think they do. Who hasn’t heard the excuse: “Sorry, he’s never done that before”?

Postal workers and others who have to enter front gardens and drives in the legitimate course of their employment should be able to do so free from anxiety, let alone risk of injury.

Please, if you don’t already do so, keep your dog inside or at the back and make sure it can’t get out.

Taxing times for caravans

From: John Wildie, Briar Grove, Sandal, Wakefield.

VINCE Cable, the Business Secretary, pledges to raise concerns about the impact of new VAT charges on the caravan industry with the Chancellor George Osborne.

The announcement to extend VAT on classes of caravans would cripple East Yorkshire, the UK’s biggest producer of static caravans. Not only will it damage the business but would threaten 1,000 jobs, where unemployment is high in East Yorkshire.

It is ridiculous when Nick Clegg and David Cameron are going abroad to other countries trying to get them to invest business in Britain, so that they can create jobs for our unemployed.

Society was once bigger

From: ME Wright, Grove Road, Harrogate.

WHILE sympathising with many of Jayne Dowle’s comments on the Big Society (Yorkshire Post, April 26), on Union Street car park, Leeds is an old sub-station which carries over the door LCED.

The acronym stood for Leeds Corporation Electricity Department –- a reminder that, prior to the 1940s nationalisation, the City Council administered the vital utilities supplied to our parents and grandparents.

More recently, most of us can remember that Leeds City Transport – another council service – once ran a comprehensive network of buses.

While they didn’t compare to the tram and tube-based systems of mainland Europe, they were at least affordable.

Any profits went towards the relief of the rates (council tax), not into the pockets of unelected directors and shareholders.

Perhaps Jayne would agree that this kind of Big Society is worth considering?

Shared feeling for home town

From: WJ Barraclough, Kirby Lane, Chapeltown, Sheffield.

I READ the column on Barnsley by Jayne Dowle (Yorkshire Post, April 21) with great interest as it echoed many of my feelings for my home town.

In truth, I have actually lived inside the town boundaries for a very small part of my life but have resided within seven or eight miles of the centre since I was eight years old.

Most of my own working life was spent in Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley where I opened a branch office for my practice in 1971 and worked until my retirement. We practised as chartered quantity surveyors.

I think Jayne will be interested to know that I have had a season ticket at Oakwell for 30 years and been a very keen fan for much longer than that (ask my wife) and have thoughts on how I think our town would be best projected.

Getting tough on truancy

From: Dominic Swift, Education Lawyer, Browne Jacobson, Manchester.

THE fact that so many parents plan to take their children out of school for a holiday this year only serves to prove that schools’ powers to tackle truancy are still too weak.

There is a need for the legislation on truancy to be updated and strengthened. Through the academies programme, more power has been given to individual schools, but truancy legislation is still based on the assumption that local authorities have the resources to tackle truancy issues.

The Government is currently awaiting the results of an independent review of school attendance. This story suggests that it needs to study that report and act on its findings as soon as possible.