The dog lobby apparently has gone into emergency mode and started to h-o-w-l again. I contend that the problem is the dog owners.

They need to understand that they are not the only ones on the beach and that their actions impact not only the environment but also the health of the Scarborough community.

They need to realize that some parents are very concerned when a strange, unleashed dog comes charging up to a young child. This can be a very frightening experience for a child that may be smaller than the dog.

It may be also hard for the dog lobby to understand that there may be people walking the beach that have had a bad experience with dogs and their rights need to be respected, too. Some people come down to the beach for a time out and don’t want to hear a dog owner screaming at the top of their voice trying to retrieve a wandering dog.

Also, I think that the Scarborough Town Council needs to step up to the bat and take a more proactive stand concerning health issues caused by dog feces and their potential effect on beach-goers. The medical community is concerned and has issued health warnings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify toxocariasis as an “infection transmitted from animals to humans by parasitic roundworms commonly found in the intestines of dogs” and that adults and/or children may develop ocular or visceral toxocariasis. Also, WebMD posts a similar warning especially for children playing in areas frequented by dogs. The Doody Calls website points out that “children are most susceptible since they often play in dirt (sand) and put things in their mouth and eyes.”

Presently, the focus has been on the piping plover and rightly so. But with such strong health warnings from the medical establishment, shouldn’t the councilors exercise their ethical and legal responsibility and take a stand to protect the health of the community and ban all animals from the beaches? The idea of setting up separate dog runs is a good one and should be explored.

Robert McManus

Scarborough