Heath needs a dogs-on-lead area

Published: 1 April, 2010

• AT the end of January while standing in the cafeteria area with my son at Parliament Hill, an out-of-control black labrador crashed into the back of my legs.
I was thrown in the air and fell backwards on to the Tarmac, fracturing my pelvis. 
I had previously noticed, as I approached the café, a brown, rangy, dog, madly chasing a black labrador at great speed around the area. The owners continued to chat to each other, ignoring their out of control dogs, chasing in and out of passers by.
When the two dogs raced into the seating area of the café I had my back to them and couldn’t see them coming straight at me.
Now, two months later I am recovering and able to walk on the Heath again.
Until recently I have been a dog owner for most of my life, but this experience has heightened my awareness of how many dogs on the Heath are out of control and not properly managed by their walkers.
The other day I was walking along the path close to Kite Hill.
Seeing a mêlée of dogs with a group of chatting owners, I walked cautiously around them.
Suddenly an alsatian raced up from another direction and charged towards these dogs, crashing into my legs.
Although this time I saw the dog there is no way anyone can stay upright with the impact of a heavy dog blindly hurtling towards you at speed. The woman with the alsatian just walked past me as I fell.
I was helped to a seat by one of the men with the dogs who told me the alsatian had already caused a number of reported problems on the Heath through being out of control. 
No fractures this time but immobilised again with a sprained ankle.
I have certainly had an unlucky start to the year.
I love the Heath and walk on it almost every day but I am beginning to feel that walking on the Heath is a high risk activity if dogs are not properly trained and kept either on leads or under control by their walkers.
It is only a matter of time before someone sustains a far more serious accident.
The Heath is a wonderful resource and it is good to see how much it is enjoyed.
However, in the two decades that I have been walking on the Heath I have noticed the significant increase in people using the Heath.
Dogs are driven to the Heath to be walked from all parts of London, large vans arrive with military fitness trainers with groups of often around 60 people.
At the weekend some of the paths around the pond are completely crowded with people with children, prams, dogs and bicycles.
In the light of this great increase of visitors to the Heath, it does begin to feel that the most used areas – perhaps the paths around the cafeteria, running track, playground and Kite Hill – should be restricted to dogs being kept on leads.
There are acres of the wilder parts of the Heath where dogs can run freely.
This would allow for an area of the Heath to be safer and for families, the elderly and disabled to enjoy the Heath without the fear and risk of dogs racing around them.
It would also help to restrict the dogs from defecating while some distance from their owners.
So much of the Heath is contaminated with dog faeces. In the summer families would have an area where children would be able to picnic and play in safety.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED, NW3