Council, take the lead over bylaw

making people feel safe,’’ he said. ‘‘How it makes people feel, comfort-wise.

‘‘But for something like that, then yes, absolutely. They should definitely let dogs in town for that reason.’’

Framers on Queen owner Richard Sampey thought dogs should be allowed in town anyway, ‘‘as long as they’re on leads’’.

‘‘If you travel overseas, you can take dogs into shops. It’s a great idea.’’

Kevin Neal also thought an amnesty during the national show was a good idea.

‘‘Everybody treats their dog like a person. What you put in a dog, training it, you reap later on.’’

Robertson said there was a bylaw review every 10 years.

‘‘In Picton, they were very for having dogs in town. In Blenheim, they were very against.’’

The last review in 2012 saw more than 300 submissions from the public.

‘‘It’s a fairly emotive issue,’’ Robertson said. People tend to have quite strong opinions on what should happen.’’

Joocy Loocy owner Guion Phillips said dogs were welcome in her cafe.

‘‘We’re pretty much on the Taylor River, we’re well positioned. People love to walk their dog down the river.’’

Unsurprisingly, dogs were expected to be under tight control in the cafe.

Phillips was understanding about the dog ban.

‘‘We do have to take other people into consideration,’’ she said. ‘‘I think it’s a bit sad.

‘‘They’re our companions. There are studies that show dogs are not only good for physical health but mental health as well.’’