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SCMP Reporter

I refer to the letter from Caroline Nelson headlined, 'Poisoner performing public service' (South China Morning Post, January 9).

It was good to see someone at last talking common-sense on this issue. If dog owners kept their animals under control it would not be possible for them to eat the poison bait. I suspect the poisoner is simply someone who is fed up stepping in dog faeces.

In Discovery Bay, there is a huge dog problem. There is no control over dog ownership, and the numbers have increased, possibly because it is currently fashionable to have one. Children can no longer walk on the grass because of the mess, and many large dogs run off leashes in a clear contravention of the law. I wonder what will happen when a child gets bitten. Maybe something will be done, but then it will be too late.

I agree that the health and security of our own species must be the priority.

RICHARD CHAN

Discovery Bay

I was staggered by the comments made by Caroline Nelson in her letter of January 9, regarding the 'dog poisoner'.

My wife and I went through a traumatic experience in October following the agonising death of our dog Toffo, after he ate poisoned meat in Tai Tam Country Park. The poor creature went through a slow, two-hour death in our house, bleeding at the mouth after his internal organs disintegrated from the poison.

How any caring person can say this is a public service is beyond me. What would have happened if Caroline Nelson's children had touched the food and been poisoned? When does a public service become attempted manslaughter? The majority of dog owners we meet are responsible and clear up any mess made by their pets, particularly in public areas. Indeed, many of them also have children, and far from being a menace, the pet is a huge source of enjoyment.

Get things into perspective Ms Nelson. The thoughtless acts of a few individual dog owners do not make the rest of us a menace. The spirit of the holiday season seems to have deserted you already.

JOHN McCAFFERTY

Stanley

Perhaps Caroline Nelson would feel a little different if one of her children accidentally stepped on some of this poisoned meat and brought it into her home for her children to inadvertently ingest.

Perhaps then she might realise that it is not only some child's beloved dog that parents are worried about, it is also the children themselves. And how would Ms Nelson feel if, after she had witnessed something suspicious and done nothing, she found out that a child had been poisoned?

FIONA OVERTON

Happy Valley



Differing opinions on dog killer's 'public service' role