Here's something to get barking mad about

As the bloke on the beer ad used to say "rules is rules” and I kind of agree but really, is this what we have come to?

Rules are rules but surely there's room for commonsense about dogs on beaches, says Ashley Robinson. Picture: Scott Davis

I HEARD a story the other day on local radio about a guy who got fined by a council officer for having his dog tethered with a sand anchor under an umbrella while he was a short distance away having a surf.

As the bloke on the beer ad used to say "rules is rules" and I kind of agree but really, is this what we have come to?

I will add that I can understand the intent of officers dealing with unattended dogs after the horrendous attack up at Peregian Beach last week.

On the other hand, I do wonder about common sense and sometimes one law does not fit all.

It's a bit like the owner of the shop in Mooloolaba where the dog was basically an attraction but obviously some soulless individual decided it was against the law and so now there is no more pooch at the shop.

I remember a battle I had with a councillor at Wurtulla many years ago about swimming my staffies in the lake. It turned out they needed to be on a lead or I was breaking the law.

When I argued the point about how they were supposed to swim with me hanging onto a bloody lead, it was suggested that I get a long bit of rope so they could swim out.

Please?

My argument, which will be shot down by every dog hater on the Coast, was that I never swam them when there other people there and if anyone arrived I would take the dogs home.

But rules is rules and I was breaking them, apparently.

My point is that surely there is room for interpretation in most rules in life and hopefully some common sense.

Surely we can see the difference between a dog sitting quietly under an umbrella and that poor dog which died after being tied to a clothesline in Central Queensland.

Surely we can we see the difference between my experience and a dog running wild on the beach harassing all and sundry while the owner is out having a surf oblivious to the chaos on the beach.

Fine the ones doing the wrong thing and jail the bastards that are openly cruel to defenceless animals.

I've got another idea which will go down like a lead balloon.

Maybe they should start fining those who cause the real problems like not picking up poo, dangerous dog owners that don't care etc and some of the proceeds could go to organisations that are forever cleaning up the chaos left by humans, like Sippy Creek Animal Refuge and 4 Paws?

Now as you sit there eating your cornflakes and shaking your head about how wrong I am, make sure you don't have a cat that gets to go out unattended every night because the same applies.

Pot and kettle.