FINED 1,125 EUROS FOR WALKING DOG ON BEACH

Walking your dog on the beach is an enjoyable activity, and surely, if you take a bag to clear up your dog's excrement, and keep it on a lead, does no harm to anyone, especially during the winter months, when the beaches are almost empty. Tarragona Town Hall do not agree. A woman has been fined 1,125 euros for walking her dog on a Tarragona beach, an activity that is prohibited by local bylaws in the Catalan municipality. Falling foul of the regulation can incur a fine of between €750 and €1,500, but Mireia Cortina was charged with a higher amount to “set an example,” according to the council.

“Setting fines at this level is stupid and absurd,” said Cortina. “What's more, there was no one on the beach.” According to Cortina, she walked her dog on the beach on a rainy day, when no one was around, and had taken a plastic bag to clean up after her pet. “I don't understand why the fine is so high — I'm not a reoffender nor has my dog ever caused any problems,” said Cortina. “Not even drug dealers have to pay such a high fine.”

Let's hope the other Town Halls in Spain don't follow suit. Or what about allowing access to dogs on certain beaches? Wouldn't that be a better idea?