My Dog Teaches … the Coming of Spring
 Ahh, finally! The long winter is coming to an end and the
signs of spring are in the air. The sun is getting warmer as the
days are lengthening. Leaves are beginning to appear on the
trees. The pleasant chirping of birds as we awaken is a reminder
that spring is the time for rejuvenation of life.
After a long winter of hibernation, people are spending more and
more time outdoors. Lawns and driveways are being cleaned of the
debris left after the snows have melted. The joyful sound of
children frolicking in the playgrounds brings smiles to
passers-by. Delicious aromas rise from barbecues and waft
through the neighborhood.
Dogs are running and playing happily in the parks with their
owners. (Sorry! – Cancel that.) Dogs playing in parks are no
longer allowed.
The sight of a boy playing with his dog, an iconic image of
North American life immortalized in many of Norman Rockwell’s
paintings, is apparently something the public should not be
exposed to. Governments seem to be intent on deleting these
scenes from our lives and memories and in throwing a winter
chill over dog ownership.
According to our officials, it appears that owning a dog is not
something that can bring joy to our lives, but should be a
serious and somber affair. How else do we explain some of the
laws and practices introduced recently?
The city of Toronto last year hired additional Animal Control
Officers to nab people playing off leash with their dogs. I have
run into many people who have told me that these officers have
involved themselves in such questionable practices as hiding
behind trees in parks waiting to pounce if they spy a dog off
leash. And what a pounce it is – a fine starting at $300.00. And
this enforcement is not just in busy parks where there might be
some applicability if a dog were running amok. It also is done
in isolated areas such as ravines when people take their dogs
for an early morning run or in parks in the middle of winter
where virtually the only ones in the parks are dog owners and
their pets.
Another tactic used by these bylaw enforcement people is to
penalize people as they arrive at leash-free dog parks. When the
dogs are let off leash before the "official" edge of the
leash-free area (and most leash-free dog parks in the city of
Toronto are not fenced) an Animal Control Officer can appear to
dole out another fine. This particular strategy used by Animal
Control has a distinct odor of entrapment – force all dogs into
the miniscule ghettoed areas that are allocated for dogs and
watch if an unleashed dog puts a paw outside the line that
designates the area. Never mind the observable fact that most
dogs can’t wait to get into the area to play with the
other dogs.
And of course we have the recent city of Toronto year-round ban
on dogs, whether leashed or not, from many beaches to further
put a damper on any fun dog owners might have with their dogs,
complete with another $300.00 fine. So now the beaches will be
almost entirely deserted during the coldest months of the year
when the only regular users happen to be dog owners.
It certainly seems that "Man’s best friend" is under attack and
is becoming an unwanted sight, at best tolerated only when he is
under restraint by a leash. And yet, the primary need for a dog
is to be permitted time off leash to run free. This is not the
danger some fear, but is in fact a safety valve that allows a
dog to get exercise and socialize with other dogs and people. It
is the primary tool dog owners have to ensure their dogs
are the safe companions everyone wants them to be.
Our parks should be for the benefit of the people who use them.
They should be places where people can socialize, can have some
fun, can get away from their daily grind, can enjoy the sights
and sounds of nature. Just as we expect that people playing
soccer or volleyball in a park can do so without hurting others
or infringing on their enjoyment of the space, so too can we
accommodate dogs without having to resort to heavy-handed and
draconian penalties.
After all, spring and summer would lose something without that
boy playing with his dog.
Previous "Petitorial"
articles by David McKague:
Editor’s note:
I would like to encourage dog lovers everywhere
to start a PETITION to have this law thrown out or revised to such
a form where justice prevails. SFR.
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