Please have respect for everyone

Marilyn Mills, Muizenberg

Now that dog owners are banned from Park Island, Marina Da Gama, with dogs, whether off lead or on lead, they have simply moved across the lagoon and now allow their dogs to run the length and breadth of the picnic area regardless of who or what is there.

Owners stride along with head bent and cellphone glued to their ear, oblivious of where or what their dog is doing.

Their dogs – plural as most have between two to four dogs, small and large – roam free between families who are braaing or picnicking with their children, some of whom are afraid of dogs or don’t like them.

Other walkers, dutifully with their dogs on leads, have these free dogs run up to them undeterred and hope their dog does not take offence and start a fight, and some take evasive action and move away out of the line of vision of these free dogs.

Zandvlei Lagoon is not a dog park but a recreation spot for humans. Those of us who are privileged to walk our dogs there on leads now run the risk of being banned from there as well as a result of these selfish, disrespectful people who believe their dogs rank above the rights of anyone or anything else.

They ignore signs telling them to keep their animals leashed or pick up their poop, so the only option is a strong-arm tactic with the law fining all those in contravention of the rules.

We cannot walk on Sunrise Beach due to the crime and so we only have the lagoon.

Please, people, wake up and respect the space of everyone.