Dogs and Other Matters
I just finished a really interesting article on Slate about dog breeeds, opwnership, attacks, and the consequences. Through telling a story of one "rescued" dog belonging to a friend, he explains a larger story of the mentality behind those who would rescue those breeds (read pit bulls, rottweilers, et cetera) disproportionately under the assumption that other people do not want them.
The fact is, other people do not want them. Because they bite people. Because they do significantly more damage when the do- especially to children. The reputation of these typed of dogs alone is enough for me to not want one. Why have a dog that frightenes people? I grew up with an energetic border terrier- who would bound along our neighborhood investigating anything in his path. If he was of his leash, or had dug out under the fence, one would find him somewhere around the neighborhood- following a jogger, playing with other dogs, poking around in something. He was friendly and greeted everyone with a lick, a jingling collar, and a wagging tail. He weighed somewhere between 20-25 pounds usually and we left him sort of "shaggy" all year so his coat gave him a warm and fuzzy appearance. In short, he looked like a sweet dog who if he was giving you any trouble...well, you could just pick him up and move him. So I never saw anyone recoil in fear or move to protect their children from him. Kids would immediately bend over to pet the little fellow, and get a good licking for their efforts.
Now imagine if I had a 60 or 80 pound pit bull. Off its leash, moving towards a child who anxiously backs up behind a parent's leg. The whole thing takes on a different flavor. If it scares a child, "good dog" or not, why would you want such a thing?
I was heading out for work the other morning and opened the door from my patio. One of my neighbors had their two dogs out (I guess to go to the bathroom) and I just looked up innocently. Both dogs ran towards me and one jumped way up on me. She was saying, "No, no, come back [dog's name], stop it!" But instead, of course, I got pawed, mud on my suit, slobber on my hand, and a nice sense of fear. She apologized about it and I asked her if she had ever heard of a leash- she just kept smoking on her cigarette. How charmingly trashy. So I go back inside and clean myself off and thought- what if I had a son? What if I was walking out there with my four-year-old who would be at eye level, not hand level? Why would someone in a residential area have two larger dogs not on a leash? Why are dog owners (in Columbus especially) so unaware of these things.
Columbus is not a very dog-friendly town, and I always wondered why. You cannot take a dog to most parks, even out of town for a walk in the woods. But as I have lived here for a few years. I have just been astonished by the arrogance of some of these owners. Go to the park- you see dogs off leashes, dogs on the wrong trails, dogs where they should not be. Be smart, be considerate of others- be a good owner.
The fact is, other people do not want them. Because they bite people. Because they do significantly more damage when the do- especially to children. The reputation of these typed of dogs alone is enough for me to not want one. Why have a dog that frightenes people? I grew up with an energetic border terrier- who would bound along our neighborhood investigating anything in his path. If he was of his leash, or had dug out under the fence, one would find him somewhere around the neighborhood- following a jogger, playing with other dogs, poking around in something. He was friendly and greeted everyone with a lick, a jingling collar, and a wagging tail. He weighed somewhere between 20-25 pounds usually and we left him sort of "shaggy" all year so his coat gave him a warm and fuzzy appearance. In short, he looked like a sweet dog who if he was giving you any trouble...well, you could just pick him up and move him. So I never saw anyone recoil in fear or move to protect their children from him. Kids would immediately bend over to pet the little fellow, and get a good licking for their efforts.
Now imagine if I had a 60 or 80 pound pit bull. Off its leash, moving towards a child who anxiously backs up behind a parent's leg. The whole thing takes on a different flavor. If it scares a child, "good dog" or not, why would you want such a thing?
I was heading out for work the other morning and opened the door from my patio. One of my neighbors had their two dogs out (I guess to go to the bathroom) and I just looked up innocently. Both dogs ran towards me and one jumped way up on me. She was saying, "No, no, come back [dog's name], stop it!" But instead, of course, I got pawed, mud on my suit, slobber on my hand, and a nice sense of fear. She apologized about it and I asked her if she had ever heard of a leash- she just kept smoking on her cigarette. How charmingly trashy. So I go back inside and clean myself off and thought- what if I had a son? What if I was walking out there with my four-year-old who would be at eye level, not hand level? Why would someone in a residential area have two larger dogs not on a leash? Why are dog owners (in Columbus especially) so unaware of these things.
Columbus is not a very dog-friendly town, and I always wondered why. You cannot take a dog to most parks, even out of town for a walk in the woods. But as I have lived here for a few years. I have just been astonished by the arrogance of some of these owners. Go to the park- you see dogs off leashes, dogs on the wrong trails, dogs where they should not be. Be smart, be considerate of others- be a good owner.
posted by Scott L. Stuart at
11:04 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home