Don´t mess with dog mess

We have seen the natural reluctance of, hither to parking wardens, now Policia Muincipal to give out fines, there is something rather off-putting to get into an arm waving arguement with a dog owner, when his faithful pit-bull is sitting there waiting for someone to “make his day!” Much easier to dish out parking tickets an unattended cars.

Dog ownership can give the owner quite a lot. For the elderly, company, protection, and for children the same, plus learning from an early age the responsibility of looking after and caring for something other than ones ownself in life.

It would not be unreasonable to introduce a dog licence fee, say 20.000 pts p.a. large dogs, 15.000 pts medium, and 10'000 small. This would produce, (with the thousands of dogs in Palma) quite some revenue, that could be dedicated to a “dog clean up patrol” naturally OAP, police dogs, etc, would be exempt.

Also in the U.K. there are special areas for people to walk their dogs, to do their “business” and it becomes easy to concentrate the activities to certain areas, and thus easier to control/clean up.

So, instead of a few people/officials, running around trying to catch-out dogs/owners to fine them, a more practical solution could be achieved, and also the licence fee might check the “Christmas puppy purchase”, abandomed in the new year, and maybe there would be less need for all the abandomed animal shelters. Dog ownership, is at all times a responsibilty.

One thing I see as a probable outcome of the new rules, is that the “mini army” of vagabonds that frequent the city centre, who already wash windscreens of cars, selling packets of tissues at 10 times the supermarket price, and, (at risk to life and limb) try to direct parking cars to empty slots, will no doubt be faithfully trailing the elegant ladies walking their dogs in Paseo Mallorca, and the like avenues, plastic bags at the ready, for 100 pts, to give another needed service in the city.