Illustration by John Sadler www.johnsadlerillustration.com

• MY previous letter supported the decision of Hampstead Heath Committee to, among other things, reduce to four the number of dogs which walkers are allowed to walk on Hampstead Heath, (Dogs off the lead as a group are potentially dangerous, January 7).

At the end of that letter I wondered how many would respect the new ruling. Well, on Friday January 15, I saw my first rule breaker. He had nine dogs, all on leads, and they were mostly Labrador-sized dogs.

When I took out my phone to take a picture, he saw me and shouted “Yes! Take your picture!” which then caused some of the dogs to bark at me.

He then shouted “Yes! He’s a bad man! A bad man!” at which point all the dogs started barking and pulling on their leads.

It was a scary moment and I gave up on the idea of taking the photograph and turned away. Might I suggest that such behaviour doesn’t merit the description “professional”?

Could I also suggest that dog owners who use the services of walkers also take some responsibility here and don’t hand over their dog if they can see that the walker already has four dogs.

I hope that this guy is the exception to the rule as I have seen other paid dog walkers following the new rules.

STEVE NIGHTINGALE
Address supplied