Dear Editor,
Firstly I would like to congratulate the local authority on the fantastic job they have done on the Lough Lannagh walk in Castlebar.
The lake is one of the best amenities in the town and something we should be very proud of and should be showing off in all its glory. Well, thanks to the council we are now doing that and it is heartening to see people of every age using this wonderful facility every day.
Padraig Flynn has long been praised for developing the ring road in Castlebar and the associated health benefits that have come with it.
The lake walk is a wonderful extension of that as many people incorporate a circuit of the lake with a walk around the ring road.
However, there is a section of society who do not respect others using the lake and they are dog owners who refuse to keep their dogs on leashes.
There is signage in the area asking people to keep their dogs restrained but unfortunately this is not happening.
I was there recently with small children and we encountered at least three people walking dogs which were not on leashes.
This is completely unacceptable.
Thankfully nothing untoward happened but I’ve seen it time and again when two strange dogs meet it’s not always a happy outcome. It’s very frightening for children to see dogs fighting and could instil in them a fear of dogs.
Not everyone is comfortable walking in an area where there are unrestrained dogs.
Does it have to take a serious accident to happen before people will respect all users of the lake.
I hope the local council, come September, will give this matter serious consideration.
Yours in sport,
(Name and address with editor )
