Abigail Wheetley
I am a dog person. I love dogs. I adore dogs. They are affectionate, obedient and intelligent. I do love dogs, but I own a cat.
It's a very unloved and slightly wild cat because I am not a cat person. I imagine the question is: If I love dogs and abhor cats, why do I have one and not the other? Until recently, I had no backyard, and I have two small children and not enough time to commit to a dog.
I recently lived in the central part of Carbondale, in a neighborhood populated by quiet and respectful students. There was one flaw: their dogs. Dogs in my old neighborhood ran loose and free without fences or leashes. There was dog poo in our yard left by a free and running large dog belonging to a small girl who, inexplicably, was walking another dog on a leash.
"Do you want me to come clean that up later?" she called over her shoulder. My husband bit his tongue, reached for the shovel and cleaned it himself. One day, I heard high-pitched cursing outside my door and observed through the curtain a young woman yelling at our mailman as he delivered mail. Apparently she was upset that he used Mace on her dog. I don't know the details, but I doubt that he was a malicious mailman who would use Mace on a dog that was properly restrained.
Young people tend to own dogs, and I understand why. You've left home and feel insecure. Your parents owned a dog and you may feel more at home and less lonely for the one you left behind. You go to a friend's house and she has a box full of raggle-taggle puppies, chasing their own tails and defecating all over the place. She says they'll have to go to the pound and the one with white paws tumbles over and climbs on your lap.
I do understand; I would have a hard time resisting myself. You have to go to work, to class, and you have a social life. You can't keep the poor thing inside all day, but there is no leash law and you know the puppy is gentle. Being young and not used to responsibility is natural. Unfortunately, private citizens, their children and your dogs will ultimately suffer for your folly.
Like I said, I love dogs. My family even owned a German Shepherd for a long time. After 10 years of affection and obedience, he bit my younger sister to the tune of five stitches in her right hand without any provocation. Some dogs, by their very nature, are violent. Years of breeding cuteness and gentleness into them will never change that. It is the responsibility of the owner to ensure the safety of private citizens from the dogs they decide to own.
I would no sooner let a dog run loose in a neighborhood than toss a live grenade in the air. I do not understand the mentality of professional adults, like those in California, who allowed their pit bulls to maul a young woman to death, or who would put someone's children in danger when the solution is so simple: Tie up your dogs, and put them behind a fence so that they do not hurt anybody. If you can't bring yourself to do that, you should not be a dog owner.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
