It's good to see Police Chief Goss add his voice of support to limiting the presence of dogs at certain public events. It's not a bid to ban dog shows, SPCA booths at fairs or service dogs.
It is merely saying what the private sector says in places of high density assembly and serving of food. That is not the place to bring Fido. Hopefully Council will resolve the issue at its January work session.
Meanwhile there are pet lover groups advocating against the measure.
Watertown Daily Times City police chief backs dog ban
17 comments:
Hey,
I just signed the petition "Watertown, NY City Council: Deny legislation on banning dogs at public events" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name.
Our goal is to reach 250 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/watertown-ny-city-council-deny-legislation-on-banning-dogs-at-public-events
You can also follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/StopRoxysLaw
Like us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Ban-on-Dogs-roxys-Law-in-Watertown-Ny/300715956636009?sk=wall
Thanks!
Todd
Hey Todd...
There are places where dogs don't belong!
When common sense fails, the public needs to be protected from the poor judgement some people exhibit and laws get passed to try and do just.
Deal with it.
Keep your dog home.
Anonymous,
I agree there are places where aggressive dogs don't belong! When common sense fails or if you lack common sense education is the way to go, please visit CDC Dog Bite Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Dog-Bites/biteprevention.html Yes, the public needs to be protected, but there are other methods than banning dogs at public events altogether that can happen to protect the public. I value and thank you for your opinion! Have a wonderful Holiday Season!
I will not be signing the petition against the legislation.
Not every dog owner is gifted with common sense and know what events and places a dog does not belong.
Interesting on NJ a Pit Bull that killed animals in NC is being sent to Watertown NY. Seems Odd.
For years I worked for a local municipality and it always amazed me when people would bring their dogs to public events. You have to understand that these people, in reality, represented only a very small percentage of the actual people there who owned dogs. The vast majority of the people there who owned dogs had enough common sense to leave their dogs home in a vastly more comfortable and less hostile environment (for the animal). It is not about the animals it is about the owners. They have a "look at me", "see me", "come over and talk with me about my animal" mentality. All they represent are people with poor manners and even less common sense. All the websites and petitions in the world will never make that little boy right again.
whatsamatter with a muzzle in public events?cheap,easy,no one gets hurt and it can be removed quickly once the dog is out of the event..
edbckhntr,
To many dog owners, our beloved dogs our like children to us. We try to bring them out as much as possible to not only have their companionship but to socialize them with other people and dogs. Watertown has no area specific to dogs so therefore us as dog owners must use every opportunity to socialize our pets, so that the dog has the proper training of how to act in mass crowds. Yes, dog owners should use common sense while deciding if their dog is ready for large public events, but bringing your dog to a public event in no way means you don't have common sense. My dog loves to be out of the house and meeting new people, his tail wags faster and faster as he knows he gets to leave the house! I know that there is no website or petition in the world that will ever change the boy, I am deeply sorry for the child and his family as well as the dog owner. We learn from our mistakes and move forward. But to ban all dogs at public events isn't the right answer, there are other methods in which dog owners can bring their pets to public events and still have public safety.
And we worry about people with concealed weapons?
I remember a few years ago seeing a person with a beautiful Great Dane at Thompson Park fireworks.. Evidently the dogs person thought dogs liked fireworks but was sadly wrong. Next day... Lost ad posted on newzjunky. That poor dog. I hoped someone more responsible found it and didn't return it to the moron who thought fireworks outing was a good idea.
If you can't bear to be apart from your dog, please just stay home with it.
My cats are pretty sociable, but that doesn't mean I think I should bring them to public events.
I see this as yet another chance for yet another law. And I'm so happy about the opportunity. How long has the farmer's market been going on? And how long has this been a problem? Tell people to keep their dogs home from the farmer's market. Done. No more problem. No need for more laws. No need for showboating, posturing, pretending that all the world's ills can be fixed with yet another law. Now it is being trumpeted that the police chief likes a new law. Such a surprise. He liked the new noise law too. That sure solved a problem, didn't it?
Typical "Knee Jerk Reaction" is entirely correct. Its horrible and sad that a child was severely injured by a dog. It truly is. That being said though, how many dog bite victims have there been at these type events in the past year? The past 5 years? Ten years? Lets look at real numbers and figure up what the likelihood is.
Using a Great Dane that freaked out at a fireworks show is ridiculous, and quite honestly you need to stop "trolling" as they call it. I have seen numerous dogs WITHOUT INCIDENT at 4th of July fireworks displays and I have yet to see one go tearing off uncontrolled as it tries to run away from the display. If you are going to use that logic, then I suppose veterans should be band from public gatherings where lour reports from fireworks displays may be heard because their PTSD might get the best of them and they may go running of to never be seen again.
As a former Watertown resident and a dog owner, I ask that the Mayor and any other council members and the like take a real hard look at the numbers and logic of an ordnance like the one that they are tying to pass and utilize common sense instead of emotion and knee jerk reactions
Gee common sense..and look at the numbers..well look at the kid's face, if you had common sense you would leave your critter home..do you want to wait for a fatality before conceding maybe a dog doesn't belong in a loud crowded venue?Of course maybe you should be allowed to go through the crowd juggling cobras too,people should know better than to get too close!
People should put their pet's well-being before their own little bizarre need to show off. Only a frickin moron would subject their beloved pet to a crowded, hot, noisy public event.
Ya'll should have run for office instead of tryng to put petitions together today. The lady spearheading this law ran unopposed and won. That means the voters support her agenda. It's a "mandate."
I agree that what happened to the little boy at the farmer's market was an absolute tragedy - but do we really need to pass more laws in response to one tragedy?
I would like to see Watertown's dog bite statistics before we pass restrictive laws. How may bites happen in this city? Where do they happen? Where does the problem need to be addressed most?
I teach dog bite prevention for Kindergarten through 4th grade students and can tell you that the majority of bites occur either in the child's own home or in a family member's or family friends' home - from dogs the child knows.
Statistically, dog bites at large public events are the exception - they are much less common than dog bites in the home or dog bites that occur outside large events.
I have to ask why that is, and the best answer I can come up with is that it's because the kinds of people who do bring their dogs to events are usually the kinds of people who do spend a lot of time on socialization and training of their dogs - and they enjoy doing things with their dogs.
People who can bring their dogs to events vs. having to keep them home are more likely to attend, more likely to stay longer, and more likely to spend money. The city of Alexandria, VA has capitalized on this an allows dogs in its "old town" area where they are welcome in outdoor seating of all the restaurants and inside the majority of the stores. And Alexandria, VA has had no dog bite incidents in those venues that I am aware of.
One major issue that I see with the way the proposed law is written (for those who have not read it, you can read it in the council agenda for 5 December, posted to the city of Watertown's webpage), the ban would exclude Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, Search-and-Rescue Dogs, Police K-9's and War Dogs (military working dogs).
What I cannot figure out is how the city plans to enforce this? I certainly hope that the city realizes that, especially when it comes to Service Dogs, it is against FEDERAL LAW to require documentation, such as proof of certification or training, and that there is NO requirement that Service Dogs must be "professionally trained" - as federal law allows for owner/handler trained dogs.
I also don't understand the double-standard for "working" dogs versus pets. A Therapy Dog's job is to visit with other people, such as at nursing homes or schools - but they are still just a pet to their owners. The same goes for SAR dogs - a SAR dog's job is to find missing persons when they are called up to do such a search, but when they are not working, they are their handlers' pets.
Why doesn't the city propose something that makes sense on a larger level and keeps the public safe without preventing dog owners from doing things with their dogs that they enjoy? For example, the city could say - dogs should be AKC Canine Good Citizens in order to be allowed at events. The AKC CGC test tests a dog's obedience training, and ability to walk through a crowd and be approached by strangers. If a dog passes the CGC, the dog should be more than safe in public.
And please, let's not kid ourselves that this ban only applies to the farmer's market as the mayor insinuates in his post. The ban, as currently written, would ban all dogs from events such as parades, fairs, festivals, etc. In addition, it would ban all dogs from within 20ft of any playground and even from dog events if they are not competing/participating in the event!
Just a few thoughts.
I'm starting a petition banning toddlers from some public events.
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