The canine kings of Paola

With the passing of elections, whatever the feeling of the citizen, whether delight or indignation, the majority rule in Paola belongs to the elite canine group. Yes, those doggies you see everywhere, faithfully strutting beside their owners, are so cute and cuddly, affectionate and to die for. Their litter graces the parks, streets, pavements, surroundings of the local council and it even decorates the borders of the Paola Primary School. Who can have greater importance than that?

Every morning, walking up Sisters Street to Paola Primary School takes me and my children, and a whole lot of others, through a series of "watch it", "be careful", and an episodic wave of going up and down the pavement whenever this dog's mess presents itself in front of us. When we face such a smell, can you imagine, they always have the upper hand! We humans need to get down from the pavement and make space for the precious droppings of the elite dogs of Paola.

Apparently, although many parents and children are constantly grumbling about this situation, cleaning their shoes on the pavement edges when they make a mistake, the local council seems to think nothing of it. In fact, since the council is situated in the middle of the park, directly facing the school, it must be of the same idea about the rights of the elite dog society.

I was told I should forget reporting the matter to the council. They will ask if you saw anyone breaking the law, so you can report him personally. Oh, I see the intelligence, I replied. All the council has to do is look outside their window. Some people bring more than two dogs every day to excrete in the park which children walk through every day after school. We are just waiting for the summer flies to continue enhancing our environment with more hygiene.

While all this is going on, the poor Paola kids are quietly and faithfully studying subjects like "Clean up the World", "Better Environment", and "Keeping Malta Clean". They need to remember however that those subjects are only meant for the exam, and they are faithfully reminded this truth everyday as they emerge through the school gates and carefully dodge the dog dirt, with the mums yelling behind.

Here's what parents should do and learn:

Do not complain. Accept it, for Paola will always remain the same!

If you don't like it, go to Sliema...there your kids can play in a more hygienic environment!

Learn that dogs are certainly more important than children (dogs don't cost us pensions and social services, and their life span is much shorter).

Don't believe in the principles of hygiene and environmental care. Simply let your kids learn them for just their exams, and to make wonderful projects about them.

The environment is not yours to enjoy. Who do you think you are anyway?

The real solution consists of dog-dirt bins, CCTV cameras and hefty fines. Will the local council be that serious?

Dogs rule in Paola!