Thursday, January 12, 2012
About You and Your Dog
Posted by John Branston on Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 10:50 AM
The scene of the crime was the Overton Park playing field, which has over the years become an unofficial dog park. I was walking toward Rainbow Lake when I got distracted by — what else? — a dog running toward me, stepped carelessly, and, bingo.
This is not the crime of the century. That would be when your dog shits in my yard and you don't clean it up. And I admit I once owned large dogs that ran free when they escaped or I let them off the leash.
But times change. We used to have unprotected sex with strangers, smoke unfiltered Camels in indoor public places, drive without seatbelts, and double-size our fries.
WE ARE LIVING IN A CIVILIZATION HERE PEOPLE!!!!!!
Dog parks like the ones at Shelby Farms and behind the board of education are wonderful things. So are bags and the stations that provide them in places like the Bluffwalk and Greenbelt Park, although plastic bags do present another set of problems. Otherwise public playing fields like the one at Overton Park become practically useless for Ultimate, catch, flag football, or walking unless you don't mind close encounters with dog shit.
So clean up. Don't shout "it's ok, he's friendly" or "Gee, he's never been a fighter/biter before" or pretend you didn't see it. Walk over and bag it. Or go to a dog park. Which the Overton Park Conservancy should put on its "to do" list.
I feel better now, and am going to clean my shoe.
Comments (4)
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A dog park is one of the things high on Overton Park Conservancy's to-do list.
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I was bitten by a dog in overton park while running a few months ago. The owner was very unconcerned as were the police when they arrived. The owner actually said i should not have been running near his dog. No, really. It is clearly posted that dogs must be on a leash. Please be responsible pet owners.
Having stepped in it more times than I care to remember, I can say the only thing worse than stepping in it is stepping in it and not knowing about it until you're all the way back to your bedroom and taking the offending and now mostly clean shoe off.
And the only thing worse than that is stepping in cold cat vomit with a bare foot in the dark at 2 AM.
But what beats them all, hands down, is having to bathe a dog that has just rolled in a fresh cow pie.
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