Monday, April 10, 2006

2365 Love your dog--in your own space

If you think solving the illegal immigration problem is tough, the Columbus City Council has been going around and around for two years about leash laws and dog parks. I try to go back to the origin of a problem, and it is always the owners, never the dogs. I ask myself,

  • "Why do people get puppies they know will grow up to be huge and which will need space to run if they live in areas where that can't happen?
  • Why do they want the rest of us to cough up $500,000 for special parks so their miniature horse sized pets can run because the owner is too blessed lazy to take the pet elephant out for a run with a plastic bag in hand?
  • Why do people let dogs run in public areas when they know darn well Fido won't come on command if he spots a squirrel or a smaller dog?
  • Why do people who own dogs, large or small, always think "My dog won't bite," or "My dog won't knock down a small child and break his leg," or "My dog won't drive everyone with half a brain for safety away from a public park," when all the evidence is to the contrary?


  • The answers to all the above is ignorance about animal behavior mixed with bad manners, rudeness, and a sense of entitlement so common in our society.

    Folks! Listen up. Any dog will bite if he or she senses danger or spots something to eat. You are not a dog and you don't see that a small child's movement may signal something totally different to a canine. This article I'm quoting below is about YOU! The 5,000 owners.

    “[Dr. Aaron] Messer said an estimated 5,000 people in Columbus are bitten by dogs each year, a majority of which are children. Mark Young, assistant director of the city's Recreation and Parks Department, said many people call his department, concerned about unleashed dogs running around. [Includes details about barking, defecating, knocking down children, chasing bicyclers, attacking other dogs.] “ SNP Publications March 31, 2004

    The photo in today's paper shows two adults, one with a lab type dog, the other with a mastiff mix. The adults are hovering over these calf size animals; the child in the picture whose shoulder is about at the dog's shoulder is being ignored and seems to be looking for some space to run and play that would be safe and free of dog feces. Unfortunately these people seem to love dogs more than children.

    Man's best friend





    1 comment:

    Susan said...

    I can't wait to share this with my mom! My brother and his wife REFUSE to keep their black lab mix at home when they come to visit. My 2 1/2 year old has been terrorized by this dog on several occasions. My mom has a huge bruise on her leg from a recent tail wagging incident. At Thanksgiving, my sister in law tied the dog to an ornate end table so she could "sit with us" at dinner. Ellie (Eleanor Roosevelt) sat a minute and then decided to take a walk with the table and the lamp, etc...

    MY mother has begged and pleaded that they leave the dog home and they continue to bring it along. (However, they leave it home when they visit my sister-in-law's mom!)

    This is just a recent example of the deeds that have earned this dog her nickname (only known to my parents and me), "Dumb Democrat Dog".

    Oh yes, my nephew has AD/Hd and asthma and neither creature is well-parented!