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Man’s best friend is the product of its owner

Alan Baxter

by Alan Baxter

02 Sep 05:35am

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Filed under: Dogs, Park Rangers, Pets, Society

67 comments

It’s illegal to teach your children responsibility by buying them a dog to look after. At least, that’s what my local council would have you believe.

Would an irresponsible person do this to their dog? Photo:AP.

The other morning my wife and I and our dog went to the local oval to meet with a friend and her dog. We live in a small rural area, nothing but dairies as far as the eye can see. At nine o’clock in the morning the only people in the park were the five of us – three humans and two dogs.

Everyone was having a tremendous time, the dogs playing, the humans talking. Then a ranger turned up and told us we weren’t allowed to have dogs on the oval, even on a lead.

One of the reasons he gave was that dogs would churn up the grass. The grass where, every weekend, squads of burly men with studded boots play rugby for hours on end. Another reason was that people didn’t pick up their dog’s crap, leaving it to be found by said burly men, often by their sliding chin during a heavy tackle.

Now granted, this is a horrible way to find a neglected dog poo, but we clean up after our dogs. So we’re being punished for the sins of the idiots with no regard for their fellow human. And therein lies the problem. The lowest common denominator in society sets the bar by which we’re all judged and I’m getting more than a little sick of it.

After protesting the ridiculous nanny-state laws surrounding exercising the family pet, the ranger left us with a pamphlet. He was kind enough not to fine us, but made it clear he would if we re-offended. Meanwhile, we should study the laws surrounding pets and be sure not to become filthy felons again.

Remember when a family might decide to teach their children some responsibility by buying them a dog? They’re allowed that puppy they so desperately want only if they promise to feed it, look after it and walk it every day. Well, if they did, they would be breaking the law.

The Companion Animals Act states: “If your dog is in a public place it must be under the effective control of a competent person (over 16 years old)”

By that very definition, anyone under 16 is incapable of being competent. And we wonder why personal responsibility is going the way of the dinosaur. If we expect our children to grow up with respect for others and a sense of civic duty, let’s not start by accusing them of not even being able to walk a dog.

Sure, it’s not good to leave dog crap all over the place, but responsible owners pick it up. How about actually fining those who don’t rather than restricting the freedoms of everyone?

Yes, an untrained dog is a hazard and induces fear and discomfort in the public. But most dogs are well-behaved and most people I meet are very happy to see my well adjusted, friendly mutt. So how about we actively pursue people whose dogs are out of control, rather than restrict the freedom of everyone due to the idiocy of the few.

There are more than a few humans around who I’d like to see kept on a leash and more than a few children who make our local parks unpleasant places to be. But I don’t automatically assume all people are dickheads and build a lifestyle around restricting and avoiding them. Why do the same thing with dogs?

That ranger who gave us a leaflet made a special journey. No one was there but us, so some busybody we couldn’t even see called in the ranger and he drove out to tell us and our dogs to stop having fun.

Wouldn’t his time have been much better spent driving around looking for people who actually weren’t picking up after their dogs and fining them? Or for people whose dogs were eating the faces off small children and fining them? (The owners, not the dogs or the children.).

After all, a dog is always the product of its owner. Let’s stop treating everyone as irresponsible, anti-social idiots and dogs as pariahs just because a small percentage fall into those categories.

An Iranian friend of mine laughed once when I mentioned living in a free country. “Free country?” he said, incredulous. “This is not a free country. You’re not allowed to do anything!” And you know what?

He’s right.

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67 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Nathan says:

      05:48am | 02/09/11

      “nothing but dairies as far as the eye can see” if that is the case just take your dog somewhere else its a sports ground not a dog park problem solved

      Reply

    • John C says:

      06:15am | 02/09/11

      When I was younger, I often wondered how people like HItler could get so many of the people of a country to co-operate in mad and evil things. After a lifetime now if watching the behavior of petty officials clothed in authority and/or uniforms or other dress up clothes, I now understand why. Many of this type of person - government officials, amateur sporting officials, middle managers - would fit quite easily into a totalitarian regime. It is not the excesses of law enforcement officials that we need to worry about, it is the excesses of petty dictators.

      Reply

    • Tina says:

      07:58am | 02/09/11

      That comparison is taking it too far! How can you compare the slaughtering of - for example - my family to dog poo?

      Think before you post something.

    • MrMr says:

      09:13am | 02/09/11

      Tina, Have a read of ‘The Banality of Evil’ by Hannah Arendt, or check out the findings of the Stanford Prison Experiment or the Milgram Experiment.

    • Mahhrat says:

      09:37am | 02/09/11

      @Tina, I agree the comparison isn’t that great, but the thought behind it is still sound.

      Evil is not a single, huge thing that’s impossible to overcome, it’s a series of small trivialities brought out by petty people with nothing worthwhile to offer anyone.

      As I keep trying to tell people, every time you “compromise” and accept a lower standard, you lower the bar for everyone.

      The solution is as it has always been - common sense application of law, then education backed with force.

      There needs to be a standard set, then enforced.  That far, no further.

      Rather than cashing the OP off the park, why not simply state that they are responsible for the dog and it’s droppings and if you’re caught out you pay for it, or are responsible for any damage or injury the dog causes?

    • acotrel says:

      06:28am | 02/09/11

      I note the outrage about the pit bull terrier which killed the little Sudanese girl in Melbourne, and I wonder how the dog was trained by its owner.  I wonder why the dog entered another property and attacked.  Dogs are typically territorial, and will usually assert their dominance in their own territory.  I can understand a dog attacking if someone enters a yard it normally lives in.  However to run into a neighbour’s house and kill a child, is very strange behaviour.  If the child had been antagonising the dog, it might happen, however it is much more likely that the dog was somehow trained to attack it’s owner’s neigbours.  I suggest that the death of the child might constitute culpable homicide

      Reply

    • Joan says:

      07:53am | 02/09/11

      The owner of the dog should be charged with manslaughter- full stop. and any owner should be made responsible for a doggie bad behaviour or injury of person in the street, park etc.  The writer lives in a rural area yet takes his dog to Oval where young kids play and sports people use it for a particular purpose.  and community pays to maintain it for that purpose. Sort of like taking your dog for a swim in local swimming pool instead of the creek.  Lot`s of dog owners can’t see beyond their own selfish needs.

    • centurion48 says:

      08:52am | 02/09/11

      @acotrel: research the incident before you post a comment. You don’t know the facts (obviously, from what you have written) yet feel able to rationalise the dog’s behaviour.
      The death of that little girl was a tragedy and you are wrong to ascribe contributing factors when you are simply guessing.
      I normally consider your posts rational even when I disagree but in this case you are out of your area of expertise.

    • loz says:

      09:00am | 02/09/11

      @ Joan - he did state that there was noone else on the oval at the time except his group and their dogs, so no immediate danger to anyone there really. And as he said, they pick up their dog’s droppings, so again, no real threat…..
      the biggest risk is what they water their grounds/ovals with - our councils regularly water with “treated water” which has infact caused numerous infections when footy players have grazed their knees/elbows on the field. Not the kind of oval i’d want my children playing on!

      We have 2 dog parks in this town, and i will take my dogs to neither as noone has learnt any sort of “dog park etiquette” and let their dogs run rogue. they literally all pile in, set up their camp chairs in a big circle and chat while their dogs run rampant (the pair with the 2 ENORMOUS dobermans and a great big mastiff are the worst offenders!). This sort of thing may be the case for many others so are forced to take their dogs somewhere quieter and safer….
      If they want us off the ovals and out of the public parks, perhaps they should be monitoring their designated doggy areas a little more thoroughly….

    • Jade says:

      09:56am | 02/09/11

      Centurion48, you do not need to know the facts behind they attack.  You only have to be able to understand normal dog behavior to realise that something is not right about the entire situation surrounding this little girls death. The dog COULD have had an unknown medical condition causing it to snap, it COULD have been tormented by the people that it attacked and it COULD also have been trained to attack/protect its property.

      From my experience with dogs, there is always a reason behind why a dog would snap and do that.  It is nothing to do with the breed, it all comes back to us lovely humans and how we treat and train the animal.

    • Robert Smissen of country SA says:

      06:12pm | 02/09/11

      The whole point is the dog was NOT trained & the owner had no control over it. Puppies are like kids, if you dont socialize them they become rabid

    • dog lover says:

      12:32am | 03/09/11

      A dog that will attack a human being so badly as to cause serious injury or death has definitely not been trained or socialized properly. Its pretty sad that these people are allowed to keep dogs and not be responsible for their actions and allow their animals to become vicious killers with barely a slap on the wrist. There needs to be more laws protecting the community from idiots like that; but unfortunately most people just want to blame the breed of the dog and not the feral owners.

    • acotrel says:

      06:38am | 03/09/11

      @centurion48
      I live with a large dog, who has never bitten a person in his life.  Dogs are sometimes unpredictable, but I usually know what mine is about.  I train him in a certain way, and he knows he is loved.  He is never permitted to harass visitors in any way whatsoever, and he knows that.  In fact he knows his whole life’s routine.  I recognise that he’s got attitude, and I work around it.  I never indulge in boisterous play with him, because it always leads to a situation where he will try and dominate.  It’d be extremely easy to train him to kill.  I’ve met people with similar dogs to my own who’ve been involved in petty crime.  They keep the dog to protect their drugs.  What do you think the dog is trained to do ?

    • Super D says:

      06:36am | 02/09/11

      I would estimate that 90% of laws relating to human activity are designed to stop people being F@ckwits.

      For example most people don’t need a law to tell them that cranking their stereo at 2:00am and waking their neighbours is outside the bounds of reasonable behaviour yet some peeople seem to.

      The same applies to dogs.  Most people don’t want to own potentially dangerous dogs nor let them crap everywhere.  The challenge for legislators is to provide an ability to constrain the miscreants while maintaining the freedoms of the public at large.  The problem though is that the miscreants have already demonstrated a preponderance to place themselves above others and hence tend to not bother themselves with the legal do’s and don’ts.  The result being that F$ckwits continue their behaviour largely unabated while normal people are more and more constrained in their everyday lives.

      Reply

    • Kate says:

      09:08am | 02/09/11

      @Super D - you are sooooo right. Hi Alan. Always good to see people writing about the merits of responsible pet ownership and agree, councils should make that easier with more off leash areas.

    • Average Joe says:

      12:40pm | 02/09/11

      @ Super D - spot on. No one likes overly restrictive, petty by-laws at every turn of the corner, yet without these, a depressingly large amount of idiots would run roughshod over everyone elses rights and pursuit of happiness without a backward glance. It’s for these selfish morons that the rest of us have to live under a smorgasboard of seemingly pointless rules and regulations.

    • Alan Baxter says:

      06:24pm | 04/09/11

      Well said, Super D. Thanks.

    • ronny jonny says:

      06:37am | 02/09/11

      Ever slid into a dog turd while playing footy?? Get your mutt off the ground. Unfortunately not everyone who lets there dogs run around on footy grounds picks up the grogans. You have to remember, people are stupid and the law reflects this.

      Reply

    • Nathan says:

      07:00am | 02/09/11

      people are as stupid as the laws reflects….i like that one very true i will have to remember that one

    • Phil says:

      08:03am | 02/09/11

      How do you know it was the dogs? I mean given the way most football players act like bogans, thugs and the occasional rapist they probably aren’t house trained so it could be one of your mates.

    • acotrel says:

      08:10am | 02/09/11

      @Ronny Johhny.  I think dog turds make football more enjoyable.  I dislike that sport !:

    • Direct says:

      09:34am | 02/09/11

      Wake up Phil! All players know you don’t drop a turd on the field, you do it on the sideline or in a hotel corridor.

    • Kipling says:

      09:36am | 02/09/11

      Ironically, some years back we had our (now deceased) Cockerspaniel near a footy field. Dogs are allowed in the area, even off lead. She was rolling in something and when we investigated it appeared to be a human turd….

      Says it all for me…

    • Chris_D says:

      06:44am | 02/09/11

      There are 2 dog parks within walking distance to where we live.  Most people who take the time to walk their dogs to these areas also have enough interest to have trained their dogs and the dogs have thus learn’t social skills by being able to socialise with other dogs The owners know they have a responsibility to clean up after their dogs for fear of the areas being shut down, as well as a duty of pet ownership.

      Those who buy a “pet” and keep it looked up in the suburban backyard most/all it’s life are not responsible “pet” owners in the first instance and are unlikely to train or care about the rights of others when/if they ever take their dog for a “walk”.  These people and their dogs are usually a menace in themselves, neither having very good social skills.

      As Alan rightly says, we are all condemned to the lowest common denominator.

      Reply

    • Michael says:

      07:48am | 02/09/11

      I took my dog (American Bulldog) to the dog park where she can play off the leash, i always leave her in her harness just to be sure, so anyway along comes a nice young woman being dragged about by her two mastiffs.
      The lady says to me “why do you leave the harness on? it’s an off the leash area so they should be off the leash” i explained to her that if my dog ran up to someone for a pat or a hello the risk of the other person being intimidated was too great and their experiencing fear will take priority over the facts of what the dog was intending, so i left my dog on the harness.
      Two minutes later the lady’s two mastiffs are trying to attack my dog and she (the owner) is too small to stop them, she reached out to grab her dog and it bites her hand badly, my dog bites nothing and is not injured in the scuffle neither are the lady’s dogs, just the lady’s hand and her pride .
      A friend of mine took her pitbull to the dog park that borders on a reserve, a small skinny dingo came out of the bush and tore the pitty’s stomach open in a flash and took his scrotum too, like it was tissue paper the owner said, and then took off back into the bush.

      What’s my point? who knows i’m just sharing smile

    • morrgo says:

      09:35am | 02/09/11

      @Michael: That dingo performed a public service, the ‘pitty’ should not have had a scrotum to start with.

    • Muttley says:

      09:54am | 02/09/11

      Pitbull viciously attacked by smaller dog while peacefully standing around? Well that would be a first. I’m a dog lover but those animals have no place in a suburban setting.

    • Philip says:

      10:42am | 02/09/11

      I dont know muttley I had a labrador that was attacked by a bloody ratdog that just comes running from the yard whilst I was walking him and attacked my dogs nuts as well, on another not you can train a dog to walk off leash or in my case I had a red heeler that decided she wanted to carry her own leash and she was the most well behaved dog that you could ever had the only times she ever left the yard was to come looking for me. dogs are like humans and need to know that they are important just remembered my red heeler did only ever bite one person and that was when I got a gf and the gf tried to get between me an d my dog lol

    • Philip says:

      10:42am | 02/09/11

      I dont know muttley I had a labrador that was attacked by a bloody ratdog that just comes running from the yard whilst I was walking him and attacked my dogs nuts as well, on another not you can train a dog to walk off leash or in my case I had a red heeler that decided she wanted to carry her own leash and she was the most well behaved dog that you could ever had the only times she ever left the yard was to come looking for me. dogs are like humans and need to know that they are important just remembered my red heeler did only ever bite one person and that was when I got a gf and the gf tried to get between me an d my dog lol

    • Philip says:

      10:42am | 02/09/11

      I dont know muttley I had a labrador that was attacked by a bloody ratdog that just comes running from the yard whilst I was walking him and attacked my dogs nuts as well, on another not you can train a dog to walk off leash or in my case I had a red heeler that decided she wanted to carry her own leash and she was the most well behaved dog that you could ever had the only times she ever left the yard was to come looking for me. dogs are like humans and need to know that they are important just remembered my red heeler did only ever bite one person and that was when I got a gf and the gf tried to get between me an d my dog lol

    • loz says:

      10:48am | 02/09/11

      Morrgo and Muttley - comments like yours really arent helpful or contributive to threads like this!
      And may i ask what experience you have in dog breeding/training/temperament testing to give you the qualifications and expertise make such assumptions?

    • Michael says:

      12:01pm | 02/09/11

      Yeah pitty’s aren’t banned where i live nor do they need desexing, there are dozens of them maybe hundreds and bigger pigging dogs, attacks are very rare also up here but i think that is just about numbers, not a big population.

      It’s alcohol related violence amongst humans that is the biggest social issue where i live.

    • loz says:

      03:52pm | 02/09/11

      Michael - you wouldnt happen to live in Mt Isa too?

    • Michael says:

      04:16pm | 02/09/11

      Loz, no mate, been there over night before, i’m in the N.T.

    • acotrel says:

      09:36pm | 04/09/11

      @Muttley
      Jack Russell’s are the worst for attacking larger dogs.  My dog was attacked by one that raced over 200 metre’s to get at him.  My dog picked the bastard up and shook him like a rat, The Russell then fled yelping back to his owner, who then asked ‘what about my vet’s bill?’  I told him to go and get well and truly stuffed.

    • CJS says:

      08:18am | 02/09/11

      I agree with your article 100%. We are not a free country. We are a nanny state country. I lived in China for a while and I was shocked by how much freedom I had there (except for protesting against the government).

      As for dogs, my biggest gripe at the moment is with the dickheads who pick up their dog’s poo in a black poo bag, but then just leave the poo bag on the footpath (in particular outside my front gate). I live in inner city Sydney - its really pissing me off (and I’m a dog owner). I’m looking forward to the time I see the bastard doing it, cause I’m gonna follow him home and leave his “present” all over his front door.

      Reply

    • Kipling says:

      09:52am | 02/09/11

      As a dog owner I am offended on your behalf too. That totally sucks.

      I tend to carry extra bags and in the past have not hesitated to confront slack owners with the bag and a suggestion that them picking it up is better than the alternative I am contemplating. Similar to your “present” without using their front door though…

      Of course, my gripe is when we take our dogs to the dedicated off leash beach nearby and surfers, family picnicers or fisherman want to whinge about the dogs. Unbelievable (well to me at least). Having pretty much run out of patience, tact or care I now take great delight in pointing up or down the coast to the MILES of available space for them to pursue their interests. This beach is for dogs so suck it up….Of course, it doesn’t always go down well.

      I think freedom is all a matter of perspective. Not being allowed to protest for example is distinctly UNfree…. Despite what else you can or can’t do. IMHO at least.

      It seems that there are dog owners and non dog owners whose idea of freedom is not having to take responsibility for their personal immediate gratification….

    • Tina says:

      09:59am | 02/09/11

      I totally see the frustration but what are the options apart from a “nanny state”? 99 % of people are good and decent members of society, but unfortunately you have to keep the remaining 1 % at bay.

      Should you legalise weapons because 99 % of us wouldnt shout anyone anyway? Or ditch security cameras because 99 % of us wouldnt rob someone in a dark carpark?

      I get just as frustrated but sometimes I am rather have a nanny state then then taking the risk I encouter with the other 1 %.

      Reply

    • Leigh says:

      10:12am | 02/09/11

      As the neighbour of a continually barking dog, I know that you will never get any sense from dog-owners.

      Reply

    • CJS says:

      10:35am | 02/09/11

      @Leigh - some, not ALL dog owners. I wouldn’t tolerate boredom barking from my dog.  If your neighbour won’t do anything about it, sounds like they are an arsehole and probably an arsehole in all aspects of life.

    • Tina says:

      11:29am | 02/09/11

      The problem is, what do you do about it? Obviously your neighbour is already inconsiderate as he doesnt attack the problem himself. After six months with terrible neighbours (partying, not barking) the police said, eventually to escape the problem, the only thing you can do is move house. As sad as it is. Luckily we were renting so we could move easily.

    • dr deen says:

      11:39am | 02/09/11

      grow a back bone

    • Robert Smissen of country SA says:

      12:35am | 03/09/11

      Doyou want to fix the problem? Offer to walk the dog for your neighbour, several things will happen, #1 the dog won’t be so frustrated & bark all day #2 you’ll get some exercise & #3 you’ll get some peace

    • gravy says:

      12:38am | 03/09/11

      All you need to do is contact your local council and either they stop the dog from barking, or they have to get rid of the dog. I really don’t get why people whinge about barking dogs when the solution is so simple… Also funny how 1 barking dog all of a sudden makes all dog owners irresponsible selfish asshats…

    • Alan Baxter says:

      06:27pm | 04/09/11

      As a reader of your comment, I know you will never get any sense from commenters.

    • Traxster says:

      11:58am | 02/09/11

      This is almost as stupid as the council ruling which banned Christmas decorations around town because they might…MIGHT offend some people !!

      Reply

    • Tina says:

      12:05pm | 02/09/11

      Remember to say happy holidays now and not merry christmas anymore.

    • Anne71 says:

      12:47pm | 02/09/11

      And the stupid thing about that “Christmas / Easter stuff offends non-Christians” crap is that most non-Christians aren’t offended at all.  Unfortunately, some PC idiots simply decided to be offended on their behalf, and so Santa and the Easter Bunny are now persona non grata.
      The Tooth Fairy, I believe, is on safe ground for now, given that she (he?) is non-denominational, but no doubt at some stage it will be decided that it’s offensive to the dentally-challenged in our society, and the Tooth Fairy too will be consigned to PC limbo. Sad days, indeed.

    • Redeker Plan says:

      12:44pm | 02/09/11

      “By that very definition, anyone under 16 is incapable of being competent. And we wonder why personal responsibility is going the way of the dinosaur. If we expect our children to grow up with respect for others and a sense of civic duty, let’s not start by accusing them of not even being able to walk a dog.” 

      Then there’s the other negative aspect of council laws such as this.  Parents are already paranoid about letting their kids out of their sight.  A well-trained, reasonable-sized dog is the best protection a kid can have when out and about.  The joy of kids and their dogs being able to get out and explore is being undermined because kids aren’t considered competent?

      Wow, when I think back to my childhood… I had a really overprotective Mum, was never allowed to go anywhere when I was really young.  But when I was 9 my parents bought me a dog.  He was a Kelpie-Collie cross and to this day is still one of the most intelligent and loyal creatures, animal or human, I have ever had the privilege to know or call my friend.  The added benefit was that my Mum was able to relax.  He eschewed a comfortable kennel, preferring to sleep outside my window and with him at my side, I was safe to take off on foot or on my bike for the day and she knew I was protected. 

      He was well-trained, polite to everyone but absolutely ferocious if he thought I was being threatened.  He even went for my Dad, whom he loved, because I was squealing whilst being tickled.  When I was approached by a dodgy guy at the park when I was about 13, he backed off REAL quick when my dog woke up from his nap, stood up and simply stared at him.

      Jeez he was the best dog ever.  Used to carry his own lead along the street when being walked, and get up with a guilty look on his face and go to the door of his own accord when he farted, which was a lot. We had him for over 15 years and even now, years after he died, I still miss him.

      Reply

    • Miki says:

      10:01pm | 03/09/11

      He sounds like the perfect ‘good dog’.  Pity many kids these days don’t get the chance to have a mate like your dog, they really are the best friend you’ll ever get.

    • Ross says:

      01:07pm | 02/09/11

      So how would people feel if I a poo picker upper who hates football and the waist of a good dog park go if I pick up my dogs backyard land mines and quietly took them to a football park without the dog and evenly distributed them on the field as free fertilizer a little gift sort of speak. I just bet someone would get up in arms about it. Perhaps they would want a law about it.

      Reply

    • dr deen says:

      01:32pm | 02/09/11

      dude are you trying to construct a sentence because i just gave up after the second line.
      yes thats rhetorical.

    • Daniel D says:

      04:43pm | 05/09/11

      Has anyone really been far even as decided to want to do look more like?

    • Max, of Rocky says:

      01:55pm | 02/09/11

      Love dogs and horses,

      don’t own one because don’t have time or inclination
      to truly care from them

      My decision, a decision I feel more people should make.

      Reply

    • CBR says:

      01:58pm | 02/09/11

      When I was a kid, not that long ago, we had a rottweiler. Part of my upbringing was walking her; first with my mother, to teach me technique (such as picking up after her, stopping/sitting before crossing a road and not accepting leash-pulling - not that she did as she was very well trained; it amazes me how many people let their dogs drag them around!) and control, and then by myself. I first started walking her around the block on my own when I was about 9.

      I’m 22 now, and the fact this is no longer allows saddens me greatly.

      Reply

    • SimpleSimon says:

      02:05pm | 02/09/11

      I spent the first half of the article having misread the word “ranger” and thinking “bloody ginger-nuts….”

      Reply

    • Megan Hunt says:

      02:40pm | 02/09/11

      Seen on a man’s car in fairfield years ago
      “I have lost my wife and my dog
      Reward for dog”

      Reply

    • Robert Smissen of country SA says:

      12:38am | 03/09/11

      Yeah, a good dog is gold

    • Soames says:

      02:47pm | 02/09/11

      The headline of this piece,  “Man’s best friend is the product of its owner”, reveals the authors ignorance. Dogs are historically proved as being of unpredictable behaviour, in the sense of what we humans understand as ’ behaviour’ , and not an understanding of animal instinct. Two quite separate things.  Humans may dominate animals of the herd or pack instinct, until the inevitable challenge is made to the dominant animal in the group, in this case, the dominant human, in a family environment.
      “At nine o’clock in the morning the only people in the park were the five of us – three humans and two dogs.”  The author obviously doesn’t know the difference between dogs and humans. That’s a worrying example of those ignorant dog owners, who invariably say, ” not my dog, it wouldn’t harm a fly, why our Bit Bull /Rotweiller/German Shepherd/cross is such a ridiculous looking dribbling cross-eyed,  twitching, nervous, fluffy ball of fun, he’s part of the family. Our 6 month old has a habit of pulling his ears, poking him in the eye, but he takes it in such good fun. He’s got such a good ‘sense of humor’. The increasing number of attacks by dogs on people, even those on leashes, ‘controlled’ by people of all ages, is a worry. It’s a national problem. Any federal government has the power to override state and local council laws to impose mandatory penalties, including manslaughter, on those individuals with disregard for any social responsibility, except for their ‘pet’.

      Reply

    • loz says:

      03:58pm | 02/09/11

      Your first pet didnt love you very much did it?

    • Chris L says:

      03:56pm | 02/09/11

      ““At nine o’clock in the morning the only people in the park were the five of us – three humans and two dogs.”  The author obviously doesn’t know the difference between dogs and humans”

      What a strange comment. If the author didn’t know the difference between dogs and humans he probably wouldn’t have pointed out that there were three humans and two dogs.

      Also there are plenty of dogs who follow careers as bomb sniffers, drug sniffers, guide dogs,sheep herders, etc. If they were as mysterious and unreliable as you say their careers would be short lived and job openings would have dried up.

      Reply

    • Karl says:

      05:42pm | 02/09/11

      to be fair, i would think it would be common sense to not take your dogs onto a sporting oval in the first place

      Reply

    • Peter Peters school Of Radical Feminism says:

      06:01pm | 02/09/11

      Your comment:Good Sorts know that dogs are the best friends of men ! Good Sorts know that the manly girlometers of gentlemen , that measure ladies, don’t usually work for Australian men In Australia! In Asia they usually work!!

      Reply

    • Staffy Owner says:

      10:29am | 05/09/11

      Thank you. I own a staffy x bullterrier (Kain) and he is the friendliest, happiest little guy despite the rap these breeds get in the media. We have family friends with a 6 year old boy who has been attacked by other dogs in the past, and so is scared of dogs in general. When he met our dog, it took about 20 mins before he was following Kain around to cuddle and pat him. This is such a refreshing article.

      Reply
 
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