When my husband and I are out hiking we find that stiles across public footpaths are often difficult for our big dog, which is too heavy to lift, to cross. The fence around the field is often made of netting, so can we snip a hole in the netting, so long as we tie it together again afterwards?
I see nothing wrong with your ingenious approach to canine comfort, provided that you carry a sewing machine in your rucksack and repair the netting so skilfully that it is as good as new. Otherwise, the question might more accurately be phrased: may I tear down fences for my dog’s convenience? The answer to that question is, of course, no.
Though the design of the public footpaths may be imperfect, you may not tear up bits of fencing to make life easy for the herd of cattle you’re driving to market. Or was it a dog you were walking? A sign of self-justification is the use of tepid terms to describe your questionable actions — such as “snip” instead of the more robust and precise “cut.”
Despite your gentle vocabulary, I’m unconvinced that you can restore the netting to its original condition, thus making your behaviour acceptable.
When it comes to the use of public facilities, it is worth considering the consequences if everyone were to mimic your conduct. If all hikers, even just all hikers with dogs, were to adopt your snip’n’tie technique, the netting would not last long. I’m afraid that this may be a petty transgression, but it is one you must abjure.
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It may be unfortunate that footpaths across fields were not originally designed as well as they might have been to allow people to walk with their dogs, but you could always try lobbying local authorities to improve this popular means of countryside access.
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The Ethicist originates from The New York Times Magazine.