More than 30 dog owners have been fined in Palma in the last ten days for breaches of the pet ordinance.

More than 30 dog owners have been fined in Palma in the last ten days for breaches of the pet ordinance. | Alejandro Sepúlveda

Humphrey CarterPalma23/04/2022 16:57
TW
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Dogs in the city? You tell me, is it a debate which should be held? In the meantime, I am pleased to see that the local authorities in Palma are not only listening to complaints from residents but also taking action, especially when it comes to dog owners who fail to comply with the rules.

I love dogs, I grew up with and Old English Sheepdog called Dougal who was like a brother, we spent hours fighting together. Needless to say he would always get the better of me, if he was not chasing the Royal Marines back to barracks after a training run past our house.
That said, living in the very centre of Palma is not made easy by careless dog owners. If you are not tripping over telescopic leads you are busy cleaning the soles of your shoes. It’s a dangerous gamble to look up when walking to work!

The council could start with setting up some dog parks. In the area around the Paseo Mallorca, for example, there are at least three or four possible locations for doggy-friendly parks to be created with all the necessary facilities for their owners to use to help keep the city centre clean. Palma is not the cleanest of cities in the world at the best of times but the municipal cleaning services cannot be expected to work 24/7. It’s up to the residents to respect the environment in which they live, if not for themselves, for the benefit of their neighbours.