Messing about on the beach

For surely it is only completely barking 'mad' people who would take their dogs for a 'stroll' along the beach on an unseasonably warm Spring day, let it off it's lead, allow it to thunder down the beach, bounding aimlessly among unsuspecting sunbathers, and then watch while it merrily, well for want of a better word does it's 'business' three feet from the waters edge, twenty feet from where two children are playing and fifteen feet from where I am sitting eating a cheese sandwich and reading Bill Bryson's, "A Short History of Nearly Everything'.

The owner of said dog '“ Pitbull! '“ who had no intention of clearing up said mess, saw my look of disbelief and, with a totally blank expression on his face, turned and stared off into the distance as if what he was allowing his mutt to do was perfectly acceptable..

Now, here's the thing, do I march over and offer him a few choice words on what to do with both his dog (who shouldn't have been on the beach anyway during the summer months '“ it's the law!) and the disgusting mess it had just deposited, thereby risking life and limb - for surely the second I open my mouth to rant, the animal's owner will undoubtedly give him the command to 'kill' '“ or do I just continue to give him an icy stare all the while knowing that hell will freeze over with that stare long before he shows the slightest concern about what I am thinking.

As I sat there contemplating the pros and cons of this situation this thought occurred to me, 'I'm not the only person on this beach so why is no-one else taking the initiative here, especially the parents of the children playing nearby?'

I can only come to this conclusion, they, like me were, if I'm honest, scared to death, not of the repercussions from the owner but from the dog '“ the breed of which does not have a reputation for picking up slippers or for rolling over to have it's tummy scratched!

So, in a state of undress with arms and legs exposed, and with nowhere to run, sadly there really wasn't a choice to be made - I like everyone else said nothing.

It's not something I'm proud of but the truth of the matter is that dog owners of that mind set, (of whom there unfortunately appears to be many '“ not all but seriously folks, many who wander along this stunning stretch of coastline) who can't be bothered to adhere to rules, allow their animals to intimidate and defecate wherever and whenever, clearly believing that they have the right to do whatever they like, without thought or consideration to others, and until such time as either they change their attitude or the authorities find a way to really make them pay that will work, what choice is there?