The Tel Aviv municipality wanted the newly-refurbished Jacob Compound park to be free of the mess dogs leave behind and decided to equip the facility with special sonic transmitters that emit a tone at a frequency above the range of human hearing.
Dog lovers, however, say that gardens and parks should be free for everyone, and though the devices will keep dogs away, they would also deter other species such as birds and rodents from approaching the area.
"This will cause a lot of stress on the animals, not to mention the owner, when he sees the dog fleeing without any reason," said Avner Raz, a dog behaviour expert.
Officials, on their part, argue that they were just trying to keep public spaces clean and usable for everyone. They said the noise does not pose a threat to the animals.
Published 30 April 2011, 03:23 IST