The trouble is that very few people are objective in their assessment of their loved ones. They assume their dog is a good dog, naturally. And maybe it is. But the fact is, most of these people are basically incapable of assessing whether their dog will behave or misbehave.
Furthermore, the dog can't be held accountable in any meaningful way for its actions. Dogs chase stuff. It's one of the things dogs do. It's not fair to expect them NOT to chase stuff.
The owner has to be held accountable for anything that goes wrong with a dog that isn't leashed. Trouble is, that's not going to make a cyclist feel better about his/her injuries, incurred because some dog owner couldn't be bothered with a leash; nor will it make that cyclist feel better about having harmed a dog that was only doing what dogs do.
I think a lot of dog owners believe it is cruel not to let dogs run free. I guess there might even be a little merit to that idea, but there are dog parks and things in the area. There's one I ride my bike past every day, right near Union Square. If these areas are not adequate, then don't keep a dog in the city.
The cruel decision wasn't passing laws to prevent injury to dogs and the people near them. The cruel person isn't the maker of those laws, or the people who expect obedience to them. The cruel person is the dog owner who brought a dog to live in an area that s/he clearly does not believe has enough room for a dog to live in.
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Date: 2008-07-14 03:00 pm (UTC)Furthermore, the dog can't be held accountable in any meaningful way for its actions. Dogs chase stuff. It's one of the things dogs do. It's not fair to expect them NOT to chase stuff.
The owner has to be held accountable for anything that goes wrong with a dog that isn't leashed. Trouble is, that's not going to make a cyclist feel better about his/her injuries, incurred because some dog owner couldn't be bothered with a leash; nor will it make that cyclist feel better about having harmed a dog that was only doing what dogs do.
I think a lot of dog owners believe it is cruel not to let dogs run free. I guess there might even be a little merit to that idea, but there are dog parks and things in the area. There's one I ride my bike past every day, right near Union Square. If these areas are not adequate, then don't keep a dog in the city.
The cruel decision wasn't passing laws to prevent injury to dogs and the people near them. The cruel person isn't the maker of those laws, or the people who expect obedience to them. The cruel person is the dog owner who brought a dog to live in an area that s/he clearly does not believe has enough room for a dog to live in.