I've just read THIS ARTICLE in disbelief

Well i know what i would like to do to him !! He must be completey off his tree  , not what i would expect  from the newspaper either , ok you dont like/hate dogs , dont have one and dont go near one , me im not that keen on children but i wouldnt do what he is suggesting to them.

How on earth did that even get printed, it's not even been done in a Jeremy Clarkson humour type way.

I can't believe that anyone could get away with calling for a whole species to be killed, considering that newspapers are expected to be PC today, do they not feel it would cause offense to dog owners and animal lovers alike, or do we not count?

I'd like to meet any species that does not poop, but obviously it should be picked up, even dog owners find that annoying. But to call on a genocide, is that not incitement, the man and the newspaper editor need a good dressing down, gosh, Jonathan Ross and the like are angels compared to this man.

> How on earth did that even get printed, it's not even been done in a Jeremy Clarkson humour type way

Exactly my feelings!

I've complained to the Times pointing out that the article incites hatred and violence to dog owners as well as dogs themselves and pointed out that I believe the columnist should be clearing his desk.

TBH I couldn't believe it was a genuine article but my daughter bought the Times yesterday so read it from hard copy - not just an internet piece that can be deleted at the touch of a buttton

Pleb.... sorry plebs if I insult you by likening you to this "journalist"...

  ... I'm not following that reply bilbobaggins

Teri not you the journalist...... Please I never have and never would to another poster.

I didnt read the whole article but believe it or not there will people that agree with him. A collegue at work has never had a dog, doesnt see the point in them and the other day seriously suggested she wished all dogs were muzzled when out in public. Best to ignore and not give them ammunition to use.

There is a certain radio one breakfast DJ who is very anti dog and says all dog owners stink of dogs and one of his colleagues who has a small child says that all dogs should be banned from parks :-(

I think there should be laws to stop people discriminating against dogs.

> How on earth did that even get printed

Well his tirade last year against the Polish was......
And before that his tirade against his own publishers (a very abusive rant about editing of one of his Times articles run by The Gaurdian [I *think*] so hardly surprising he's got away with this too :( )

Can't bear him, not a patch on his father.
The Irony for me is he has the gall to refer to the tabloids as >'The bonehead press'< .... Just what exactly is it that sets him apart!!?? lol.

off his rocker i would say.
silly man.
but then what to you expect when he is mates with Gordon Ramsey???
another silly man.

A peculiar tirade against pet dogs in general and linking to child murderers and what he considers a disproportionate reporting in the media.  He should be reminded that baby P(eter) was just one of about 100 children in the UK who die each year due to deliberate parental abuse or neglect, clearly many more than who are killed by dogs. Shall we ban all parents?!

Does he know that more than 100 people die from Salmonella (nevermind all the other food poisoning bugs) each year.  He'll be trying to ban Christmas dinner next!

well newf3 that explains alot.

> I didnt read the whole article but believe it or not there will people that agree with him. A collegue at work has never had a dog, doesnt see the point in them and the other day seriously suggested she wished all dogs were muzzled when out in public.

My dad is pretty much the same, believes if you want to keep them they should not be allowed off your won property.

Nothing less than ignorant.

I fear there will be no fun in owning a dog before too long if people like this idiot get their way. Unfortunately, mostly due to irresponsible dog owners, there is a growing group of people in the UK who are anti-dog. I'm seeing the effects already. There are woods nearby where dogs are no longer allowed to be walked (I notice these woods are now empty most of the time - what a waste!) and these areas are to be expanded to appease the dog haters. Soon will dogs have to be muzzled in public? And will we all have to drive our dogs to designated dog walking areas in order to exercise them? :-( 

It is of course tragic that any child has been harmed/killed by a dog, but the numbers are small, especially when compared to incidents of child cruelty carried out by human beings! Talk about a sledge hammer to crack a nut!

Just thought I'd look up some other articles by the same chap.  He's a restaurant critic.  Enough said as far as I'm concerned. 

> And will we all have to drive our dogs to designated dog walking areas in order to exercise them? :-(&nbsp;
>

Already the case in many parts of the USA, and look at the problems they have due to under exercised canines.

> I didnt read the whole article but believe it or not there will people that agree with him

At the bottom of the article there are comments, several are in agreement with him :(
I don't know what I found more sickening, the fact that this article was published or the fact that there are people, milling about in our society, with that sort of hate coursing through them. That type of person is much more dangerous than any dog. This man is inciting hate for an entire species and the owners, not to mention publishing his will to kill an entire species - by himself if need be.
How can people be so intollerent and lacking in compassion? The way he described Jadens death is disgusting. He is using the unease of dogs following Jadens death, to give him self a boost up with media coverage - a sick, twisted, selfish man - the likes of which our society could do without.

I noticed one of the comments under the article said "never trust a person who doesn't like dogs" - enough said!

Do some people hate journalists or at least some of them? Do some of them sometimes ruin peoples lifes with thier stories or torture people to madness? Do the papers they write in ever end up as litter on the street due to irresponsible people dropping them or fill up landfill sites because people refuse to recycle? I see only one cure to these problems....if you dont want to i will lol.

Most of them are basically prostitutes who'll write anything as long as it pays.

"Ethical" and "journalist" are words seldom seen on the same sentence.

I feel sorry for him tbh - he has clearly never felt the love and companionship one can share with a dog.  His life must be incredibly empty.

I certainly wasn't expecting the article to be in the Times when I read the comments, I was all ready to reaf a Daily Mail attempt at journalism!

I normally like Giles Coren, I find his food articles & restaurant reviews very entertaining so I was shocked to read this article, I can't help thinking it was done for a 'shock' value after recent tragic events than expressing his true beliefs!

Quite bizarre!

> The way he described Jadens death is disgusting.

I agree. There is no need for that kind of gratuitous sensationalism. It sickens me.

> I can't help thinking it was done for a 'shock' value after recent tragic events than expressing his true beliefs!
>

I think this is his true beliefs and he has taken this sad event as an opportunity to spew it all out!

What a sad sad little man.  And what a horrific article - I am disgusted that it was allowed to be printed.

so what he is proposing is a mass cull to eradicate the entire species of the dog? aaahhhh intelligent man.
Guaranteed he will be the man you see in the park dressed in his crispest most smartest sunday best sneering at us filthy dog walkers.
these people make me chuckle every time especially when one of mine shake their head and drool pirouettes through the air toward said man/lady in sunday best in the park.

> these people make me chuckle every time especially when one of mine shake their head and drool pirouettes through the air toward said man/lady in sunday best in the park.

I don't think that would be very helpful.   I do think people are perfectly entitled not to like dogs and are certainly entitled not to have any interaction with them and most definately entitled not to recieve dirt or slober from them.  Dog owners behaviour should not give any amunition to people like him.

if you go to a park you should expect to come into contact with them, if you want to get dressed in your sunday best to walk around a large expanse of grass that you know perfectly well will be used by dog walkers well you should expect to see dogs and come into contact with them. dogs naturally need to run free and to excercise otherwise issues with behaviour arise.

> if you go to a park you should expect to come into contact with them

Parks do not belong to dog owners.  I think it perfectly reasonable for people to enjoy a stroll in the outdoors in their Sunday best.  If an accident did happen I would not be laughing about it but would be offering to pay for their dry cleaning.

>Parks do not belong to dog owners

no they dont they belong to everyone and will take my dogs and use the park just like everyone else. if these anti dog people want to sneer at dogs being dogs then the countryside is not the place to go in their sunday best.

I think objecting to dirt and slobber is not sneering at dogs it is perfectly reasonable.  I would object too if I thought the owner had not taken due diligence to protect me.

>no they dont they belong to everyone and will take my dogs and use the park just like everyone else.

Of course. But just as you wouldn't allow your dog to jump up at toddlers you wouldn't allow them to jump up at adults, or slobber on them. That's not good manners. Parks are for all to enjoy equally, and if some people spoil it then they'll find themselves banned. I'm not anti-dog, but if I want to take a walk through a park on my way to work, perhaps, then I too would object to being made dirty.

i have to disagree, a park is a park and kids, and dogs will be playing and splashing around. it is more than obvious that there will be a high possibility of getting dirty and to think otherwise is niaeve.
you also get the same type of people who freeze and screech when they see a dog, this is just insane my dogs dont even notice people they are too busy sniffing the floor or playing with each other. again if your terrified of dogs you have to expect to come into contact with them in a park. this is not to say i dont put them on a lead until they have gone past, but this is usually for my dogs benefit as they wonder what all the screaming is about.

I am always careful that my dog isn't a nuisance to anybody else. We should all be able to go about our business without getting covered in mud/slobber/dog poo, and the dog owners who make this impossible give us all a bad name. I'm not suggesting that you do that mahonc - but there are plenty of dog owners who do :-(

A park is a public recreation space. If people want to sit quietly and read a book in the sunshine that's just as much their right as someone walk their dog or children to kick a ball about. But children should show manners and not kick the ball at other people (accidents happen and then they should apologise profusely) and dog owners should also make sure their dog behaves as well. The book reader shouldn't sit and read in the middle of the goal area, though! Share and share alike.

I have never had someone freeze and screech. I have seen people who obviously do not wish to come into close contact with my dog and I have ensured that they are able to pass without doing so. Perhaps it is more likely to happen with large dogs but again I think it reasonable for dog owners to be sensitive to that and not allow the dog to continue in their direction or to stand still while they pass as appropriate.  I have never felt that, as a dog owner, I have a right to impinge on anyone elses enjoyment of parks and the outdoors.  Dogs ownership is not a right in my opinion.

> again if your terrified of dogs you have to expect to come into contact with them in a park

So what you're saying is that these people shouldn't walk through their local park just in case a dog may be present, get serious!! Everyone has a duty to roam free at their own will, whether they are afraid of dogs or not.  I also think it is reasonable to expect to walk through a park that has a paved walkway & not get dirty.  I walk through our park which I also use to dog walk, every day in my 'suit' for work & would be highly annoyed if a dog was allowed to jump up at me or indeed as you say you advocate allow a dog to shake so close to me that I would get covered in it.  That is irresponsible dog owning, some people who afraid of dogs are so for a genuine reason, how do you know this person has not been subject to a violent attack or may have severe allergies?!!  Anyone should be allowed to walk through their own park, whether they choose to do so naked, in a suit or full body amour - this is their choice!!

>Dogs ownership is not a right in my opinion

i didnt say this at all, however if i am going about my business and my dogs are not bothering anyone why does the other person have the right of way?
unfortunately because a lot of people in my area have the likes of staffys and pitts and DONT train these dogs in the correct manner a lot of dog walkers get a bad name mine are all well trained and yes they get muddy and spitty and if i got the chance i would apologise for anyone getting muddy but i do come across a lot of people who are instantly rude to you. these people dont get any sympathy from me as yes i agree they should be able to walk in the park in a dinner jacket should they wish, but they should also expect that there is a high probability of getting muddy etc..

it is unrealistic to NOT come into contact with a dog in a park. TOTALLY unrealistic. and i dont ALLOW my dogs to shake near people, but how do you stop a dog from shaking their head???
AND i certainly do not allow my dogs to jump on anybody they get on with their own business. and what im saying is if they go into a park they HAVE to expect to see dogs, thats life.

> why does the other person have the right of way?

They do have a right of way and so do you.  If your dogs are not bothering anyone that all is fine but you started out by saying you would find it amusing if they got dirt or slobber on them and that is not giving them a right of way.

> but they should also expect that there is a high probability of getting muddy etc..

Do you mean getting their shoes muddy or getting mud or slobber from a dog?  I would say they should not be under any probability of the latter if at all avoidable and if it does happen without any encouragement from them the dog owner should be prepared to take responsibility as it surely is not the other persons.

Hi mahonc

I agree with the points of other posters that dog owners cannot and should not try and claim ownership of freedom in public parkland at the potential expense of anyone else. 

If we are not all sensitive - and in this day and age perhaps 'super sensitive' is more appropriate - to others' right to enjoy open spaces equally, we may well find further restrictions are put in place that eventually lead to leash laws at all times in public areas.

I know it can be very difficult sometimes to please everyone.  Sadly aside from those who quite rightly wish to be left in peace, those who are afraid of dogs or perhaps have an allergy to them, there are also people who really dislike them and IMO we can't afford to give any further ammunition to the anti-dog brigade no matter how minor and/or normal a behaviour may appear to us.

I have a breed characteristically aloof towards strangers so they ignore most entirely and just 'suss out' the others but my youngster thinks everyone should be his new best friend and we're slap bang in the middle of the Kevin stage at present making walks much less enjoyable as his size and exuberance mean that I have to be on constant guard that he wont become a nuisance to anyone with or without dogs.

It's a manners thing as much as anything else but made more important IMO by the growing mistrust and/or dislike of many of the GP towards dogs in general.

> but how do you stop a dog from shaking their head???
>

Perhaps by keeping him away from people that are obviously not in dog walking gear.

if i go to a park i im not niaeve enough to think i will be pristine when i come home. a park is a park its not a shopping center that does not have mud that can splash. i have enough intelligence to know that there will be a possibility to get splashed.

but how do you stop a dog from shaking their head???

>

>Perhaps by keeping him away from people that are obviously not in dog walking gear

so you keep your dog on the lead all the time? no sorry i want my dogs to be exercised properly

> i have enough intelligence to know that there will be a possibility to get splashed.

Ground mud yes, dogs no.  I would be very annoyed and I am a dog lover.

> so you keep your dog on the lead all the time?

Not once mature enough to leave people alone but I do put them back on the lead if they have been swimming for instance and people are approaching.

well that my point exactly, my dogs leave everyone alone, in fact if people want to pet them they are not really interested, however if my dogs are running past them and the grass they are on is muddy these people are stood in a muddy park, what do they expect? im not saying ite right but what i am saying is you HAVE to expect it you are in an environment where there is dirt.

> I have never had someone freeze and screech.

I have. I was at the top of a steep hill with Buster on a short lead (he's always on a lead or long-line), a couple popped into view over the hill and the poor woman froze to the spot & let out a shriek. She was genuinely frightened to death. After I assured her that Buster couldn't get anywhere near her (he was doing a lovely calm, sit), she said she has always been terrified of dogs.
It's not a very common reaction, and probably was more intense due to Busters size, but it goes to show that some people really are, honestly scared.

>I have never felt that, as a dog owner, I have a right to impinge on anyone elses enjoyment of parks and the outdoors.

Totally agree.
Us dog owners should all keep this in mind, especially those of us with big dogs or 'in your face' dogs. We may love our dogs, but some people don't like dogs and others are dog-phobic.

If all of the people that walk along his street were to pick up all of the c**p from the pavement and wrap it in his page of the Times and then post it through his door it would never equal the amount of c**p that is coming out of his mouth.

Using his rule of killing all dogs because they have the potential to kill children where do you stop? What about all car drivers and car manufacturers, all parents and those that could become parents.
The man is a complete idiot.