Dog facts might assist

A few facts about dogs might assist the debate on these animals in parks and on beaches.

In general, most agree that responsible owners, who obey the regulations, pose few problems but some facts are worth noting, since not all owners are caring.

The saddest is that between 10 and 20 children are blinded each year in Australia, through rubbing dog faeces in their eyes from droppings in parks and on beaches.

In Sydney, faeces dropped each year could fill 10 Olympic swimming pools and end up in the harbour.

Dog attacks on humans are common.

They are also one reason why koalas remain rare.

Including children, 100,000 people require treatment each year in Australia while 13,000 require hospital treatment according to the Medical Journal of Australia, as published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Carrying a plastic bag and picking up faeces to put in the nearest bin is a legal requirement in many countries around the world.

Vincent Serventy, Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia president