Further to my update on the Embsay there has been a flurry of posts on that page about problems encountered between dog walkers and anglers at this reservoir. Shared spaces are always going to generate conflict sadly but I’d be interested to here more thoughts on this matter. I know from personal experience I’m appalled at the amount of dogshit I find at places frequented by dog walkers – and no, wrapping it in a bag and hanging it from a tree is not acceptable in any way, shape or form. Nor do I enjoy dog walkers sending their dogs into my ‘swim’ but I usually see the funny side in this. Usually… But I’ve seen some bad behaviour from anglers on the bankside as well so we’re no anglers either.
Discuss!
My own personal thoughts on this matter are that both parties should respect each other, the less of this ‘us and them’ attitude the better. As both an owner of dogs and a keen angler, I understand that occasionally with the best will in the world, dogs can indeed operate in a manner undesirable to their owners commands or escape from control. It is necessary for all anglers to understand this and perhaps show a little consideration when this happens. If both parties can indeed keep their cool then the majority of conflicts can be settled with some friendly words an appology and perhaps a friendly laugh. There is no need for abuse from either party. Likewise, dog owners need to ensure to their upmost ability that their dog is under control, if there is a risk of control being compromised then the dog should be placed on a lead. It is not law that dogs should not be kept on a lead at all times but it is against the law to allow a dog to act in a manner that someone should feel threatend, not everyone is a dog lovers, infact there are many that feel threatened by dogs, especially when not on a lead. In the case of Embsay reservoir, the owners, Yorkshire Water Services, stipulate that dogs must be under control at all times, many follow these rules, however many do not. Further to this, local bylaws (yes, they are real laws) stipulate that dogs are not allowed to enter the water at any point. If these laws and rules were filled there would undoubtedly be less opportunity for conflict. On the first day of the new trout season, as secretary of skipton angling, my phone was alive with complaints from anglers who had been in some way encountered conflict with dog owners that had shown either little consideration or who had lost control of their dogs. I was fishing the venue myself and had been in some way inconvenienced on no less than 5 separate occasions in as many hours, 4 of these occasions were non confrontational but on the other occasion my polite requests for consideration was met by a mouthful of verbal abuse which was quite uncalled for. On the same day, I had some marvellous conversations with strangers who had dogs with them that were in control of their pet. What is required is education, consideration, and the ability to respect others. There are many that do and only a few that don’t, anglers and dog walkers alike.
By the way, I think the random picture of a dog covered in blood that is obviously a still from a movie and was not taken ‘yesterday’ is doing very little in the way of helping this situation.
It’s a still from the movie ‘Cujo”! Just injecting a little humour:-)