Chicagoans ready to pass new dog control laws.
October 31, 2001 5:30 AM Subscribe
Chicagoans ready to pass new dog control laws. Instead on enforcing current leash laws to curb dog attacks, Chicago is planning to raise fines up to $10,000.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble
The Chicago proposal is for situations much more serious than just "a dog that got out of the backyard." Some dogs and their owners are killers; e.g., Judge denies plea to save life of dog in San Francisco mauling.
posted by Carol Anne at 6:21 AM on October 31, 2001
posted by Carol Anne at 6:21 AM on October 31, 2001
My next door neighbours had their dog lobotomised, due to it's lively behaviour. It barked alot when the doorbell was rung.
It was an english sheep dog, which require '1-2 hours of daily exercise'. It got 20 minutes.
The dog died a couple of years later. Way to treat 'man's best freind'.
Just found this, regarding a link between domestic violence and pet abuse.
I agree that the fine em to death' method does not work, these issues cannot be fined out of existence, they run deeper. A societal shift of opinion would be required to deal with the vast majority of dogs (unlicensed), bear baiting, dog fighting etc.
If we all just got back to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, all these frustrations would disappear.
posted by asok at 6:22 AM on October 31, 2001
It was an english sheep dog, which require '1-2 hours of daily exercise'. It got 20 minutes.
The dog died a couple of years later. Way to treat 'man's best freind'.
Just found this, regarding a link between domestic violence and pet abuse.
I agree that the fine em to death' method does not work, these issues cannot be fined out of existence, they run deeper. A societal shift of opinion would be required to deal with the vast majority of dogs (unlicensed), bear baiting, dog fighting etc.
If we all just got back to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, all these frustrations would disappear.
posted by asok at 6:22 AM on October 31, 2001
> If we all just got back to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, all
> these frustrations would disappear.
OK, hunt dog.
posted by jfuller at 6:47 AM on October 31, 2001
> these frustrations would disappear.
OK, hunt dog.
posted by jfuller at 6:47 AM on October 31, 2001
All of this dog stuff is just a result of a lot of folks not understanding, or not caring about, the level of responsibility involved in raising a well behaved animal.
I had two pit bulls (strays--I normally wouldn't seek out the breed) and a German Shepard Dog growing up. They were the sweetest dogs in the world. They never bit anyone, they never mauled anyone, and they rarely ate Australian tourists' babies. Of course, I spent an hour or more a day playing and running with and training my animals from the time they were puppies and throughout their lives.
I don't think fining people into oblivion is going to help anything--it just means the city gets more money when (not if) the next attack like this happens. The only laws that are going to help are ones that make people more responsible pet owners. And, unfortunately, I'm not sure there's a good way to do that.
posted by Swifty at 6:51 AM on October 31, 2001
I had two pit bulls (strays--I normally wouldn't seek out the breed) and a German Shepard Dog growing up. They were the sweetest dogs in the world. They never bit anyone, they never mauled anyone, and they rarely ate Australian tourists' babies. Of course, I spent an hour or more a day playing and running with and training my animals from the time they were puppies and throughout their lives.
I don't think fining people into oblivion is going to help anything--it just means the city gets more money when (not if) the next attack like this happens. The only laws that are going to help are ones that make people more responsible pet owners. And, unfortunately, I'm not sure there's a good way to do that.
posted by Swifty at 6:51 AM on October 31, 2001
jfuller - that's the kind of practical solution to stray dogs that would never get state approval!
posted by asok at 7:04 AM on October 31, 2001
posted by asok at 7:04 AM on October 31, 2001
skallas: This looks like it'll just hurt the owners of a dog that got out of the backyard...
It could, and that's the one end of this sword. The other end? I can relate....
A few years ago I was driving home from work, doing the speed limit down a road in my Chicago 'burb, when this dog ran out in front of my car. Ran. I slammed on my brakes, and had to back up a bit. My heart fell - I felt so incredibly awful. I got out of the car, started yelling for someone to call 911. The cops came.
The dog had run out of a house's front yard, because the owner left the gate open slightly. Dunno what caused it. The owners eventually came out of their house when they heard the commotion. The dog was not in the best of shape; eventually the police got an escort for the dog to the animal hospital.
The dog wasn't wearing a leash.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I got a call from my insurance company a couple of weeks later, telling me that the owners wanted to get money from my insurance company for this accident. I told them my story, and when I mentioned the dog was leashless, the reply was, "Really? Oh, well, then you have nothing to worry about. That's illegal."
I would hope that the threat of a higher fine would help people take care of their pets, but like most of you, I throw a skeptical eye at it.
One more interesting part of the article:
It would also require that dogs deemed to be dangerous by city officials be sterilized and fitted with a surgically implanted microchip for identification.
That's some dog control!
posted by hijinx at 7:05 AM on October 31, 2001
It could, and that's the one end of this sword. The other end? I can relate....
A few years ago I was driving home from work, doing the speed limit down a road in my Chicago 'burb, when this dog ran out in front of my car. Ran. I slammed on my brakes, and had to back up a bit. My heart fell - I felt so incredibly awful. I got out of the car, started yelling for someone to call 911. The cops came.
The dog had run out of a house's front yard, because the owner left the gate open slightly. Dunno what caused it. The owners eventually came out of their house when they heard the commotion. The dog was not in the best of shape; eventually the police got an escort for the dog to the animal hospital.
The dog wasn't wearing a leash.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I got a call from my insurance company a couple of weeks later, telling me that the owners wanted to get money from my insurance company for this accident. I told them my story, and when I mentioned the dog was leashless, the reply was, "Really? Oh, well, then you have nothing to worry about. That's illegal."
I would hope that the threat of a higher fine would help people take care of their pets, but like most of you, I throw a skeptical eye at it.
One more interesting part of the article:
It would also require that dogs deemed to be dangerous by city officials be sterilized and fitted with a surgically implanted microchip for identification.
That's some dog control!
posted by hijinx at 7:05 AM on October 31, 2001
The Chicago Police are cracking down on dog owners who let their dogs out without leashes. In the park where I walk my dog, there's a group of people who let their dogs run around without leashes every Saturday morning. (My two wiener dogs are far too insane to run wild, so we don't participate.) Last Saturday, they all got tickets. Fortunately, Chicago is opening up more "doggie parks" where it's safe and legal to let your dog run around sans leash.
posted by elvissinatra at 7:24 AM on October 31, 2001
posted by elvissinatra at 7:24 AM on October 31, 2001
i see a "doggie park" that's in lincoln park all the time. it looks too goofy for me, as though the next step would be dressing up a dog and crashing the westminster dog show. paranoid, i know.
posted by moz at 8:47 AM on October 31, 2001
posted by moz at 8:47 AM on October 31, 2001
What the hell is wrong w/ you people!
if someone would've said the phrase "loose dogs", i could bust in here w/ a stunning pun about how loose dogs are not allowed, but dogs w/ good morals are (allowed)! Ahhahahahha! And you would all have heart attacks from laughing! and then, i would go get me some honey-rosted peanuts and sour cream.. [edited for brevity] ... so there wouldn't be anymore pidgins in the pigeonholes!
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:59 AM on October 31, 2001
if someone would've said the phrase "loose dogs", i could bust in here w/ a stunning pun about how loose dogs are not allowed, but dogs w/ good morals are (allowed)! Ahhahahahha! And you would all have heart attacks from laughing! and then, i would go get me some honey-rosted peanuts and sour cream.. [edited for brevity] ... so there wouldn't be anymore pidgins in the pigeonholes!
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:59 AM on October 31, 2001
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posted by pracowity at 6:02 AM on October 31, 2001