A group of Sliema residents this morning presented a petition to Sliema Council, asking it to compromise on regulations which effectively ban dogs from bathing areas.

The residents argued that in keeping the dogs away, the council was also banning their owners and they had practically nowhere else where to take their dogs other than some inconvenient rocky beaches.

They also called for compromise on restrictions imposed on dogs in public gardens.

The petition was signed by some 1,000 people.

The residents said that it was responsible dog ownership that needed to be promoted and not the punishment of dogs.

"People need to be exposed to animals not made to fear them. Unfounded laws only create confusion in people’s perception of animals and this is the poison that gives rise to further abuse," Olga Formosa, one of the promoters, said.

She added that the group was calling on the government and its entities to propose laws that promote responsible dog (or animal) ownership instead of punishing responsible owners because of the non-law-abiding ones.