I HAVE just had the experience of nearly losing my dog under a car because of the sudden loud noise of the starter gun and a louder hooter going off at Kings Park athletic stadium during an athletics meeting.

I know that the starter gun is required, but does it have to be so loud? My dog was so terrified that she managed to slip her collar and lead and bolt. I couldn’t catch her. She ran ahead of me into the car park and if someone hadn’t managed to grab her when they heard me shouting she could have been killed.

There is a cemetery there as well. It’s very distressing for families who are attending the funeral of their loved ones to have to put up with so much noise at the time. Mine is not the only dog that gets upset because of loud noise and other people I have spoken to have said they avoid the park when these events take place.

Also please, if you are riding a bicycle in the park and you come up behind people who are walking their dogs on leads or small children playing, remember we don’t hear you behind us and it is a very unpleasant experience when you whizz by a couple of feet away or just past a dog’s head. Use your bell. Let us know you are coming so that we can move away, rather than shout abuse at us.

W LAURENCE, Lytton Road, Bournemouth