Goin' to the Dogs

I heard on the radio on my way into work this morning, a county in Northern Virginia has legislation in the works that would make it illegal to chain a dog to a post for more than one hour at a time… thankfully, it’s not a law yet.   But, for supporters, the rationale is that there are too many people who leave their dogs outside all day.  The dogs bark and bark and bark all day, while their owner is away, disturbing the peace of the surrounding neighborhood.

Ok.  I’m not a huge fan of barking dogs either.  As a matter of fact, it drives me absolutely crazy to hear a dog barking for hours – just ask my family.  I’ve even been known to knock on a door or two in the middle of the night.  But, does this approach make sense to you?

First, not all dogs bark when they are outdoors.  As a matter of fact, some are so damned happy to be outside that they just cool their cute little bellies in mud and hope some kid doesn’t’ t come along and disturb their peace.  Or, in this case, time is up on their one hour of fresh air and sunshine.

Second, not all dogs left outdoors are “chained to a post.”  Some are left in fenced enclosures or yards; some are left on back porches or decks; and still others are trapped by an “invisible fence”… you know - that electronic torture device designed to punish a dog for attempting an escape.  So, what about those dogs?  Under this new proposed law, dogs in pens, yards or on decks and porches it seems are exempt.  I guess their barking doesn’t disturb the peace as much as the barking of dogs left attached to posts?  Hmmmm.

If you’re like me, you may be noticing an interesting correlation.  If not, it may be a slightly weird transition for you.  Regardless, does it seem to you the behavior of dogs is judged somewhat similarly to that of humans these days – the less luxurious the circumstances in which one lives, the harsher we are on interpreting and enforcing the laws that govern their behavior?   Do we as a society sometimes overlook bad behavior because of one’s social or economic status?  Um… duh!  Of course we do!

As a society, we think it’s “cool” when a rap artist or professional athlete have loud, outrageous parties.  We laugh and smile when the rich and famous are caught using a “four letter word.”  We feel sorry for, forgive quickly, and even rally behind wealthy business leaders and entertainers who ruin their marriages and families over an illicit affair or addiction.  And… We basically expect politician these days to lie, cheat, and steal.

But, how would we feel and what would we do if our fellow citizens of the world living in government subsidized housing, leveraging the food stamp program, and Medicaid were to do any of these things?  What if you were driving by and saw a man on a street corner in the city “projects” yelling obscenities at his girlfriend, or saw a young man of color running from the front porch of a row home with something tucked under his arm, or saw an “exchange” of some sort in an adjacent alley in that same neighborhood?  Or, worse, what would you do if your next door neighbor who has seven kids, works three jobs, and drives a 1991 Buick decides to have a holiday cookout on his one day off all year… into the wee hours of the morning?  Would you think it was cool?  Funny?  Sad?  Would you think nothing at all?  Or, would it upset you and make you want “heads to roll?”

Perhaps, the next time you encounter someone who is loud or overly exuberant, misbehaving or possibly breaking the law, you can reflect back upon that neighborhood dog chained to a post.  It may just change your perspective.