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North End parents tired of dog owners giving them shit
By adamg on Wed, 06/06/2012 - 6:55am
NorthEndWaterfront.com reports on a steaming controversy that pits dog owners vs. parents and other residents fed up with mounds of dog "caca" on neighborhood playing fields.
When a man with a large dark brown dog and a blond woman with a small white dog came 3 feat from shortstop, I said to them, "You can't have your dog off the lease and doing caca on the baseball fields.
The man replied IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN, "You're the guy who gave me a hard time before, F**k you, lick my ass". You're not even from the neighborhood”.
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Comments
I think stereotypical Italian
I think stereotypical Italian expertise with organized crime could be the perfect solution to this problem. Either that, or since the city likes to tax or charge fees for everything, why not charge dog owners extra money for city wide poop patrols?
They do
I assume that the money from dog licenses goes toward animal control and related services.
Oh wait, no one actually licenses their dogs, and laws don't get enforced in Boston. Nevermind.
Why should they have to?
I don't see anything on the animal control site about licensing cats, and people let those things friggin' LIVE outside. At least dogs are friendly and play with children.
Sure there's no excuse for people not to pick up their dog's "caca," but we don't need to waste the cops' time. The letter writer called the cops on some woman with a dog, and he didn't even have any proof that any of the poop belonged to her dog. Why shouldn't dogs have the same right to neighborhood parks as people's snot-nosed little kids?
Some people just have a weird fear/hatred of dogs and don't understand they need places to run and play off their leashes.
Why shouldn't dogs have the same right to neighborhood parks
Dogs are animals and considered property under the law. Children are humans and have rights associated with being human. Does that sort it out for you? In addition, the event took place on a little league baseball field. Only a real idiot would think that is an appropriate place for walking your dog when it's in use!
Dogs do need to run and play off leash. With that in mind, perhaps living in the city isn't appropriate if you wish to own a dog that requires open space. Maybe I'd like to own a horse, but you know, horse ownership really isn't appropriate living in a condo with no yard. Same thing for dogs. If you don't have access to open space for your dog, maybe it isn't appropriate to have one. Keeping a 75 pound animal cooped up in an apartment 12 hours a day isn't humane in my opinion, but that's not really my beef. Leash your dog, take it to an appropriate place to defecate/urinate, and clean up after it. That's all it takes. If you can't manage that, you're a loser with no business owning a dog and deserve all the scorn you receive.
Agree
I'm a dog owner, but I'm also a parent. Letting your dog urinate or defecate on a field where my kid will be playing sports is disgusting.
I agree with everything JP-Stonybrook wrote, with two exceptions:
Some people just have a weird
Yeah, it's so weird that the millions of people bitten by dogs annually and the hundreds of thousands of people admitted to emergency rooms because they've been attacked by dogs would be afraid. It's especially weird because the 15 or so people killed by dogs every year don't seem at all fearful. CDC figures, by the way, you can look them up.
Oh, but not your dog, right? He's friendly!
Yay, statistics with out
Yay, statistics with out context!
So, it's your position that
So, it's your position that because there are nearly 5 million dog bites per year resulting in approximately 16 deaths per year, that having a fear of dogs is legit and rational?
Would you then say having a fear of cars is also legitimate and rational? Nationally there are around 10-12 million car accidents per year, typically resulting in 30,000-45,000 deaths per year. This is significantly higher rate of death than dogs will ever impose. Census numbers, by the way, you can look them up.
But don't worry, I'm sure you're a safe driver.
Who isn't afraid of cars? I
Who isn't afraid of cars? I sure am. So are you.
Agree with Canid
My uncle's "friendly" german shepherd took a chunk out of my leg when I was three. My fear of dogs is not weird. I even like many dogs, if just at a small distance. Furthermore, I understand dogs need to run off their leashes. A public baseball diamond, however, is not the place for such running, and the accused owner is clearly a disgruntled townie.
Sigh. As a dog owner in the
Sigh. As a dog owner in the city, it's people like you who give us a bad name. You are being selfish, inconsiderate, and disobeying the law.
It's your responsibility, as the dog's owner, to take the dog to a place where it's legal to let them off leash, if that's what your dog requires. The city does not have an obligation to provide this for you.
Lots of people fear dogs, and there are a lot of dogs out there who are aggressive and do bite.
Any cats have nothing to do with this, at all.
Sigh. As a dog owner in the
I'm sure that is causing the individual in question a considerable amount of distress.
Cats shit too, buddy
Cats shit everywhere outside and there is no law in Boston requiring cat owners to clean up the cat shit. And cat shit is even more toxic than dog shit. At least when a dog takes a crap it's on top of the soil where you can see it and stand a chance of avoiding it; cats bury their shit, usually in the loose soil of someone's vegetable garden, or the sandbox belonging to one of the snot-nosed kids someone was complaining about earlier.
Uh...
I actually do have to register my cats. Our landlord won't let us have an apartment without going through a lot of paperwork. They have to have various vaccinations, and the management office keeps a file on each of them.
It's not a citywide rule, but some of us do register our cats in some way.
Your type is the reason for leash laws
1) I am a human being and not wanting to be forced to interact with your delinquent dog should not be considered "a weird fear/hatred of dogs". I have my own dog and don't need yours in my face thank you very much.
2) I disagree with your fairy tale about "they need places to run and play off their leashes". My dog plays off her leash in my house and a quite small fenced in area of my yard, and for more serious exercise, I put her on a leash and we go for a nice long walk. But if that's not good enough for your dog, then go buy a nice big fenced in yard, but keep it out of my yard. My yard no more belongs to your dog than it belongs to you - It's my private property. And the public areas in the neighborhood belong to me as a taxpayer - not your dog. The only way your dog should get close to me in these areas is when it's being restrained on a leash by a responsible human being.
Fortunately, just about every locality in this country has adopted leash laws to deal with irresponsible, or developmentally challenged pet owners unable to grasp these simple concepts. And remember, it's okay, because we're not talking about a little human child - It's an animal!
Guess you haven't visited
the Arboretum lately. There are animal control officers there frequently checking dogs for licensing and to make sure they are on leash.
dogs on leash in the Arboretum??
Really? I run in the Arboretum (Peters Hill side) regularly (early morning) and would estimate 10-15% of the dogs are on leash. I even counted one day last year and that was about right--I think I saw 3 on leash for about 20 total. I have not paid as much attention lately, but the on-leash dog is certainly the exception rather than the rule. Most are well-behaved and I do see owners carrying bags, but the general practice is to let your dog off leash to go do their business in the bushes--and I don't see many people following after the dog. Another reason to stick to the trails and paved paths.
while I agree
Dogs need to be lashed and no dog rules enforced where they are applicable...
..I think these people are in for a rude awakening when they find out all that dirt the grass is growing, and little johnny is covered in, is worm shit.
No.
I assume you're just trolling and you actually do understand the difference in health concerns regarding carnivorous mammal shit and worm shit?
of cource
I'm just getting the vibe that if there's a little poo on the field, "everything's ruined!"
Southie has it's annual blooming of the snow turds every spring, and it ain't that nice.
Lashed?
Wouldn't that constitute cruelty to animals?
OK
Then you shouldn't mind me taking a dump on your stoop, right? Cause it's all just poop.
I see a pretty big difference between
"Germs are everywhere" and "there's literally a pile of dog poo in the middle of the sidewalk."
Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash
My cats agree. Dogs should frequently be lashed.
Bonus if you know the source quote for the subject.
The traditions of the British Navy are...
Thank you, Alex.
Pogues
Are they running now? Are the toe-snacking bluefish in hot pursuit?
30 Helen's agree...
All I hear when I read this is Helen Lovejoy pleading... "WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?"
And worse, Peggy Gravel screaming the word "CACA!"
What is wrong with these people?
Don't they understand that townies can do whatever the fuck they want, and you can go fuck yourself if you don't like it? Get with the program, people!
Couldn't agree more, well
Couldn't agree more, well said.
This is not about dogs and
This is not about dogs and where they wee. This is about the "natives" or any imaginary special group in a neighborhood thinking that they own the place, and to hell with you if you think you have any rights. No one self-appointed group can "own" any neighborhood in this city and I would bet money the ugly individual who lets the dog foul the field thinks they are very much entitled to do whatever they want in "their" neighborhood. "Yuppies" with kids be damned! Whine!"
This isn't dog owners versus
This isn't dog owners versus parents. It's the *irresponsible* dog owners versus everyone else (which includes the responsible dog owners).
Exactly
This is really jerks vs. everyone else. Unfortunately, Boston seems to have more than its fair share.
For starters, if you live in
For starters, if you live in the city you probably shouldn't have a dog to begin with. Not that I think there should be a law, but get real. You probably work a lot and have a social life - you're not gonna be there for the dog! Get a bike or a gym membership, sure you'll probably stop doing stuff with those after a month too, but they wont scratch a hole in your front door and poop on your rug.
And don't get more dog than you can handle - don't be that twenty something screaming her head off in the Arboretum cause her grayhound/pitbull wont come back. It's not a dog park unless the land owner says it is, just because you and three other people decide to let your dogs off there means nothing. Your "friendly" dog freaks out people, especially small children, use a leash. Finally, if you're dog is off the leash and takes a poop far away - it's still your job to pick it up.
FWIW I used to own a dog in the city - I learned from it.
If you live in the city you shouldn't have a dog??
What an idiotic statement.
So a " suburban dog" who sits in his back yard with no owner interaction
getting fat not going for walks or meeting other dogs has
a better life??? Are you nuts!?
Stats show dogs that live in major cities are less obese than those in
in the burbs. Don't lump other owners in with your past lazy
ways when you had a dog.
This is about a small percentage of irresponsible dog owners not
the majority so stand down. Most walk their dogs clean up after them use
kennels or dog walkers
Learning...
Maybe you should also learn that generalizing is lazy and rather stupid. Is having a dog a responsibility? Of course it is, but if one is ready to make the commitment, having a dog in the city is pretty easy. Commitment being the appropriate amount of exercise per day, a desire to take pup on outings on the weekends, and the wherewithal to say "nah, I can't go out again tonight. I need to hang with my dog." And having a dog where I live (JP) actually contributes to my social life - he loves the Brendan Behan and the group walks a bunch of us regularly take.
It is unfortunate that you decided dog ownership was not for you, but please don't tell me that all city dog owners are as irresponsible as you apparently were.
I'm not speaking about
I'm not speaking about abstract generalizations, I'm speaking as somebody who owned a dog in JP for 8 years. I learned from my own experiences as well as from the countless, clueless dog owners I encountered in SW Corridor and Arboretum. There are some people who make it work - I did and I knew when to get out - but I'm if you're honest about it, you've seen a lot of pathetic pet owners too. Keeping a medium to large dog boxed up in 2 bedroom triple-decker apt for 90% of the day is not being the animal's friend. Going for a pull with a dog you haven't trained isn't exercise, it's a public statement that you're in over your head. If your dog is off the leash in a public place you're being inconsiderate. If your dog takes a huge power washer piss on your neighbor's lawn you're disrespecting their property. If your dogs barks while you're away, it's the problem and not your complaining neighbors. If there are only a tiny percentage of dog owners who are bad, then why is the Peter's Hill section of Arboretum a minefield of dog poop? It couldn't be all of those great dog owners I see ignoring their dogs, nah that would be a generalization.
OK...
I think it comes down to the fact that responsible owners take the time to train, exercise, and interact with their dog. Yes, there are plenty of a-hole dog owners. Just as there are plenty of a-hole parents. But generalizing all parents based on the behavior of parents at one playground (along the lines of your Peter's Hill statement) would be asinine.
Your well-trained qualifier about dogs at the Behan makes perfect sense to me. It pisses me off when people bring their out-of-control dogs in there. It pisses me off equally when I go out to eat and watch someone's spoiled brat throw food on the floor, throw tantrums, etc. In both cases, the owner/parent needs to know their dog/kid and plan outings accordingly.
Bottom-line, irresponsible/out-of-control people should not have dogs or kids. Good luck to us enforcing that edict.
I think the problem
is for every responsible owner in the city, there's 9 other people that got a dog for their own irresponsible reasons. The girl that got him cause he was cute, or the guy getting the dog as a Wingman.
Maybe it's my age, but young owners seem to be the worst offenders. Often the dogs are accessories for their own failings, not true companions. They're poorly trained, they aren't getting the attention they deserve, and the owners are a bit irresponsible.
I'd love a dog. I'd take care of him responsibly. I'd be a perfect city owner. But I won't be getting one in the city until I can drastically up my living space and free time, because it's not fair to my future pet. But my idiot buddy has his poor dog, cause hey, he needed a dog!
This about sums it up.
This about sums it up.
tl;dr version: I was a
tl;dr version: I was a dipshit that got a dog when I was too immature to take care of one, leading me to be a terrible dog owner and, because of my immaturity, no one should own a dog in the city.
You all sound like idiots
No one should have a dog in the city ??? For every good owner there is 9 bad ones?? Well lets ban cars then and bikes...and babies...because for every good driver or responsible bicyclest or good parent there is a terrible driver 12 bad bike riders and 11 negelect-ful sets of parents?!!!
Way to lump all dog owners together you morons.
Why should you not have a dog in the city??? I know at least , AT least 75-100 dog owners in South Boston and they all walk there dogs, they all run with their dogs, they all have a dog walker, they all play with their dog ...and THEY ALL PICK UP the dogs sh*t !!! So please bak down.