A message from Caroline Simpson sent via e-mail:

Dear Fellow Local Resident,

Dogs and Finsbury Gardens.

There is currently a Council Consultation on Dog Control Orders. Haringey Council wishes to know what you and I feel about dogs in parks. Should they be on leads? Should they be allowed to run free? Are there some gardens where they should not be allowed at all?

I am a grandmother of four small children who I bring often to Finsbury Gardens to play. I also have a litter-picker and pick up litter that has been dropped. I know the Gardens very well.

It is awful that there is always so much dog poo on the grass. It is probably only a few people who let their dogs do this, but it is spoilt for everyone. Some people also let their dogs off the lead and some children get very scared when they come up close to them ‘to play’.

Just over Nightingale Road (a few metres) all dogs can go where they like – and they can run all the way to Ally Pally. Dog walkers can easily walk around the outside of the Gardens. Finsbury Gardens should be for people, and not for dogs. Children should be able to play on the grass without getting dangerous and messy dog poo on their feet, and we should all be able to sit and have a picnic on the grass without getting filthy.

There have been recent improvements to the Gardens which make it more attractive to people of all ages – more fun for children to run and jump and balance, and better for older people and families to sit, read, chat or picnic. It would be a big shame if dog poo made all this work pointless. I believe that it is only by making it a No Dog area that we can stop the poos. It is quite a small public garden in an area where many families have no garden, and it should be as family-friendly as possible.

Do you care about Dogs in Finsbury Gardens? If so…. Tell the Council now.

• You can fill in the consultation document on-line. www.Haringey.gov.uk/dogcontrol
• Or e-mail them at frontline.consultation@haringey.gov.uk
• Or you can ask for a paper copy. Phone 020 8489 1326
• Or you could pick up a paper copy from the little shop in Finsbury Road or The Red Sea Supermarket on Myddleton Road
• Or you could write your own letter and send to: Freepost NAT20890, PO Box 264, London, N22 8BR

The council says “Some residents feel that these areas are not places for dogs to be exercised. Many parents avoid these areas because they feel it is not safe for their children to play where there are dogs. Some parents are concerned their children might be exposed to Toxocariasis due to irresponsible owners allowing their dog to foul in these areas. Let us know what you think.”

If you want NO Dogs in Finsbury Gardens then write this in answer 11 on the form, and tell them why.
What do you think about the poo?
Do you think that banning dogs would be the only way to solve the poo problem? Why?
Have you ever heard or seen dogfights or similar in the Gardens?
Have you witnessed anything else troublesome about dogs?

Consultation ends July 20th – so do this now.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Simpson