Dogs are great, it’s some owners that are the problem

The story of the nesting swan that was savaged by a dog shocked me but didn’t surprise me. Many will have witnessed the progress of the swan as it built its nest and laid its eggs on the edge of the rowing lake.

Sadly, those eggs will never hatch after a dog walker allowed their untethered pet to attack and leave the swan with fatal injuries.

The majority of dog walkers are responsible people. Sadly, there is a sizeable minority who are not. Some owners seem incapable of grasping the fact that their beloved pets are animals and therefore unpredictable. Dogs are wonderful pets but even a placid, friendly dog can turn given a set of circumstances.

No owner - no matter how conscientious - is fully in control of a dog at all times in all situations... unless it is on a lead.

The law should be changed so that all dogs must be on a lead in a public place with an on-the-spot fine as a penalty.

For the record I am a dog lover, my childhood pal was

Caesar a loveable and boisterous Labrador, and I expect to be a dog owner once more in the coming years as my children’s clamour for one grows stronger by the day.

ANOTHER PUSH FROM POSH

It was quite a performance from Posh in the first leg of the play-off semi final.

The boys in blue put Sheffield Wednesday, who finished a massive 19 points ahead of them in the league, to the sword and romped to a 4-0 victory.

Tomorrow night they will hope to finish the job and book themselves a Wembley date.

I hope they do and then go on to win promotion. It would be a remarkable achievement after an uneven season and great credit must go to the returning Darren Ferguson.

This city should at the very least have a Championship club. And if the likes of Burnley and Bournemouth can make it to the premier league, why not Posh?

A BRIDGE TOO LATE?

I like the look of the new visuals for the long hoped for new bridge over the Nene linking Fletton Quays and the Embankment. It’s just a shame that it will be providing a route to offices and flats and not to all the arts and leisure venues we were told would be part of the development.

Perhaps if the bridge had been built at the start, as this newspaper called for, it would have been easier to attract such venues.

The swan on its nest before the dog attack.