wightdogs.com ISLE of WIGHT DOGS and OWNERS

 

Megan hasn't been seen since she went missing from Sainsburys forecourt in Newport on Wednesday 14 July
She is sadly missed if you have seen her or know anything of her whereabouts please contact us through the webform by clicking here

 

 

For anyone stumbling across the wightdogs website

If you are not from the Island but have discovered this website whilst searching DOG CONTROL ORDERS on the Internet due to your council persecuting dog owners in your area click here for further information

 

 

 

 

Following our success in overturning the councils draconian proposals for the beach bans the time has come for some stocktaking at wightdogs.com

Over the coming weeks I intend to reorganise the site although I intend to keep all current pages in a history section of the website, not least so anybody wishing to start a website to fight regulations being introduced in their area can browse our history to see how we came about our success. 

 

 

  A site dedicated to the dog owners of the Isle of Wight

 In order to assist in getting organised so we can get

a fair deal for us and our dogs.

 There are a great many of us and we find ourselves continually being persecuted for merely owning a dog. It isn't illegal to own a dog, in fact we are now legally obliged under animal welfare legislation to ensure that we satisfy the needs of our dogs which includes adequate exercise.

Yet we find ourselves in the position of having a council intent of introducing evermore draconian rules in an attempt to limit our dogs access to areas where we can exercise them. Responsible dog owners play by the rules and are quite happy to clear up behind their dogs. Yet there is a persistent minority who will not do so.

And lets get this point straight it is only a MINORITY

Just look around, the place is not covered in dogs mess, and take a look at the overflowing dog bins they're overflowing because the majority of us do clear up and the council have the legislation at their hands to deal with those who flout the rules. The problem with fouling mainly exists in the back streets not in the beach areas, yet the council do nothing to enforce the regulations they already have at their disposal. The Islands five dog wardens only managed to hand out a grand total of 10 fines for a whole year (YES TEN!) over the entire Island, and not one of those was for fouling on the streets.

This is pathetic yet the council consider the solution to the problem is to extend the beach ban.  How can banning dog from the extremities of Ryde Sands solve a fouling problem on the streets? Regardless extending the beach bans would not stop fouling on the beaches as only those of us who obey the rules will observe the beach bans, and those who obey the rules already clear up, yet those who have no intention of clearing up are hardly likely to pay any attention to the beach ban. Especially as those are not enforced either.

The Answer?

Well for a start how about the dog wardens, who cost us £93,000 pounds a year to employ, getting out of their vans and starting to do the job we employ them for?

i.e. Enforcing the dog fouling legislation

ITS DOWN TO US

There are many of us dog owners on the Island, what is needed is for us to get organised. When we are organised we have a lot more say when the council try once again to introduce these overly strict rules.

We have recently won a famous victory but we must not become complacent as this is only a reprieve in the councils attempts to extend their beach bans. They tried to ignore the views of us the residents, the Ryde town council, the Ryde members of the IW council and the Cabinet member who was supposed to be taking the delegated decision. Yet when, in a last ditch attempt to impose their will, they put the decision before the full Cabinet, they too unanimously rejected the proposals leaving the officers of this council, who we employ to serve us, with no option other than to finally abandon their draconian, unwanted and unnecessary proposals. Then they had the cheek to say they had listened to the concerns of the public in doing so.

Have no doubt that they will try again. They have already indicated that it remains their intention to gain a Blue Flag at Ryde, and they consider it is dogs that are stopping them in this aim, rather than the pollution in the Solent. These expensive awards are only important to them not to us. Its really quite simple - If the sun shines the beach is full, If it doesnt its empty - regardless of these pointless awards. They also failed in their previous attempts in 2007 as we discovered, late in the day, that they were intending to introduce their Dog Control Orders and that there was a public consultation in progress which no one had heard of. Anyway as many of you will remember we all rallied round, wrote to the council giving our views, there were petitions and letters in the County Press and together we won the day.

The council have already stated that it still their intention to stop us, at Ryde, from being able to take our dogs 100 metres out from the sea-wall, on the instructions of Encams (the Blue Flag people) and they will try again

We must be ready and organised to fight for our rights.

 Many of you from Ryde will remember me collecting signatures for a petition against the councils proposals, the time then came to launch this website as we have little say as individuals, but with the power of communication afforded by the Internet we can demonstrate that we stand united.

We have already clearly demonstrated that we are a force to be reckoned with and we will continue to fight for our rights.

 

To join us is simple just click the button above, you don't need to be an Island resident as we welcome anyone who loves dogs, loves the Island and feels the two can exist in harmony. You don't even need to own a dog, so join the responsible owners and feel free to use the site as its your site.