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Mr. Jim Baca August 2, 1999 Dear Mayor Baca: I have also included a letter I submitted today to the Weekly Alibi in response to the feature on dogs and the City of Albuquerque. Much of this information comes from the UNM Law Library. The primary source is: Dog Law, 3rd Edition, Mary Randolph, Nolo Press Berkeley, June 1997. Thank you so much for your time and interest in this matter. Sincerely,
Scott Goold
Select Stories, Commentary and Archive of Dog Park Policy Hooray for the Dogs[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE] I would like to thank Noah Masterson, Weekly Alibi (July 29-August 4), for providing the insightful article about the prejudice our canine companions suffer in modern urban society. Fred Gonzales, Albuquerque's Animal Services states, "It is in the best interest of everyone to keep animals on a leash." He added the city enforces leash laws for the safety of the public. How quickly we forget the service and safety dogs provide. We easily train these loveable creatures to do a wide range of tasks. Dogs herd sheep and cattle, sniff out illegal drugs and explosives, perform search and rescue functions, help disabled persons with a multitude of tasks, guard homes and buildings, serve with our police and military personnel. Yet, dogs give us more than just their labor. Research has documented many advantages canines provide. They make people smile, laugh and be happy. Canines provide uncomplicated and unconditional love. They stick by us when others are gone. People who live with dogs are more satisfied with both their past and present lives. Children who grow up with a dog become more cooperative and sharing. The dog provides companionship and teaches responsibility, gentleness and compassion. Graduate students who lived with dogs as children showed significantly higher self-esteem. Researchers concluded that having a dog lets a child form attachments without fear. The dog's trust helps children learn to trust themselves. Men attached to their pet dogs also make better fathers. Dogs perform many theraputical functions. In a "Psychological Today" study, four of five respondents stated that when they were lonely or upset, pets were often their closest companions. Therapists use dogs to treat or manage troubled patients. Even the most withdrawn patients improve after contact with dogs. In a study of children with severe emotional problems, the doctors administered traditional methods to half the group. They allowed the others to play with a dog. The group receiving the traditional methods got worse -- those in contact with dogs got better. Dogs make hospital environments more home-like and this has a wonderful, enlivening effect on patient's morale. Dogs can help them get better. Canines appear to be stress buffers. Dog owners go to the doctor less than people without a dog. When people pet dogs, their blood pressure drops. The same thing happens when people talk to a dog -- although talking to another person usually raises blood pressure. People accompanied by a dog in the room have less measurable stress than people without dogs. Women attempting difficult task felt less stress and fared better when their dog was nearby. What do dogs ask in return? Just some time to play with their kind. It is a cruel punishment to disallow our canine companions the opportunity to socialize. More advanced communities have moved away from strict leash laws. These communities have adopted a more humane policy allowing dogs to be unleashed if they are "under reasonable control." It is time for Albuquerque to reconsider its inhumane position regarding our canine companions. I have had a dog partner my entire life. I have never witnessed a negative incident between a human and a well-socialized canine. I have seen frustrated dogs harm people -- just as I have seen frustrated humans harm people. Frustrated dogs generally live in small cells. They spent their lives in a solitary confinement not suitable for our most egregious criminals. Humans rarely socialize these animals. The problem facing society today is not canines off their leash, it is the pollution problem stemming from the doggie's poop. This is not the fault of the canine -- going to the bathroom is a natural act. The culprit is the human. The cause is human ignorance and laziness. I see such irresponsible people everyday -- yet I have never seen Albuquerque's Animal Services act on this issue. |
  
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