My children have always been brave and fearless. They wouldn’t think twice about climbing the tallest tree in any park. The only problem is they would stay up there indefinitely if so much as a shih-tzu started snuffling at the base. The fact that my kids are scared of the many dogs we encounter when we play outdoors is a small pain. But it raises interesting questions about who has priority in a public space – a dog or a child?
This debate has suddenly gone into overdrive in Tower Hamlets, east London, where we live. A consultation by the local council about imposing stricter controls on dog owners has sparked a visible rise in pro-dog activism over the past few weeks.
