THAT RECENT HORRIFIC INCIDENT in Kingsland, Christ Church, has once again brought to the fore of public consciousness and discussion the question of vicious dogs’ attacks on people.
But the fact is that there has never been a sustained effort to precipitate decisive action backed by legislation.
The matter has usually been dealt with in fits and starts, with the burst of attention right on the heels of an incident, eventually petering out until the next unfortunate occurrence.
However, the most recent happening was of a particularly chilling nature since it involved multiple victims, including a very young child.
Without seeking to be macabre, one reason for the spasmodic attention by the Barbadian public could very well have to do with the fact that, unlike other countries, Barbados is not known to have recorded a death as a result of an attack on human beings by dogs supposed to be domesticated and tame.
But while the incident is still very fresh in the public’s mind, every effort should be made to advance the process to the point of bringing structure, form, function and focus to whatever steps are needed to stamp out this anti-social behaviour.
The thing is that Barbadians will not have to waste a lot of time and money on proverbially reinventing the wheel since there are several countries and communities in various parts of the world who have already put in place structures and systems to at least minimize, if not completely eliminate, such unfortunate events.
So when public indignation has inevitably subsided, we hope that for the long-term physical and psychological well-being of the country, the relevant agencies will show some badly needed initiative and leadership in advancing the process to a national consensus.
It would be a serious blot on our collective image should we be forced to lament: “If only we had . . . .”
Because on yet another occasion we would have failed to attach to the problem the kind and level of importance that the future of the national health deserves.
