Good Will Punting

I’m on the side of the vast majority of dog owners who feel utterly indignant when not allowed into an establishment – a pharmacy, a café, a bodega -- with their dog. But, I do understand that the law is the law. If a place serves or sells food, then technically, health department code prohibits animals. Ironic, really, when you consider that most of us wouldn’t go into a corner deli that didn’t have a good mouser living on the premises. I’ll take cat hair over vermin any day.

But, thankfully, there are kind shopkeepers who share our love of dogs (or the contents of our wallets maybe) and allow us in. To these people we should be grateful and our conduct should be gracious. What that means is that if the Duane Reade drugstore on the corner allows dogs, great! But don’t take advantage of their good nature. Don’t walk in with four dogs, even if it happens to be you and three of your friends with their own dogs. The group assault on a store only serves to piss off non-dog owners, who might then complain to the store or the health department. Keep in mind that the store owners are allowing you in at great punitive and financial risk.

Dogs are officially banned from food-selling establishment primarily for sanitary reasons. So, it’s mind blowing to me that some dog owners appear completely unfazed and take no responsibility when their dog pees or has an accident in a store. For crying out loud, is there a more direct way to look a gift horse in the mouth?

It’s also particularly galling to see people march right into a coffee shop with their accessory/dog. Just because the dog is small and the owner is attractive, it’s not any less illegal. A small espresso shop can be pretty well wiped out by a $1500 health department fine. The inspectors don’t give a damn about the arrogance that led the princess to traipse in with her frou-frou little cur. In fact, they won’t punish her at all. Instead, the café will take the hit. One or two of these fines could potentially bankrupt the business, or result in an employee losing his or her job.

The same courtesies should apply to buildings which allow dog walkers to bring in non-resident dogs to pick up another client. Walking in with one or two dogs is reasonable enough, but when a dog walker comes in with a raft of seven or eight dogs, and isn’t using the service elevator, then he’s pushing the boundaries. It’s only a matter of time before outside dogs are banned from the building altogether.

In a perfect world – or Paris – our dogs are allowed to accompany us just about anywhere we go. It seems reasonable enough to anyone who owns a dog. But, unfortunately, not to the majority of the remaining population. As frustrating as it may be, we need to take the liberties we get while being cautious not to abuse them. Soon enough, we may have none at all.

Run Rules – Part I

I’m going to do a series of blog entries on dog run etiquette. I shouldn’t really have to do this because the rules are already posted at the runs themselves; but, the fact is people tend to ignore these very important rules and guidelines — frequently at the peril of all the dogs in the run. I’ve already addressed, under a different heading, the issue of bringing food into dog runs, but today I’m going to discuss a far more important issue:

Bumblebrains at the Gates!

Any decent dog run worth using has a set of double gates for entering and leaving. The reason is quite obvious: SAFETY. It’s kind of like those airlocks in space ships. If there is only one door, then whoosh, everything is swept away into the universe the first time the door is open. Same goes for dog runs. If a single door is opened as you’re trying to get into the run, then as quickly as you can yell, "hey get back here!" two or three little dogs have scampered free, much to the distress and panic of their owners. This is particularly perilous in the city, where the street and traffic is mere yards, or feet, away.

So, this all makes sense, right? Simple and straightforward, right? Well, for some reason many people don’t seem to grasp this very basic concept. When I go to a run, I notice that about 60% of the people going in and out will open one gate while the other is already open; frequently, people just leave the interior door wide open, thus completely negating the value of a double gate, leaving your dog in peril.

This blog entry isn’t merely about nuisance, for a change. It’s about saving lives. It takes one, just one, instance of errant use of the double gate system to get a dog killed. Therefore, I’m going to ask you, dear readers, who I’m sure are dedicated gate closers already, to become gate vigilantes. I know it’s tempting to scream, “hey moron, close the goddamned gate!” But, for once I have to say that pissing people off is not the proper protocol. Approach those who enter the gates incorrectly (especially those who insist on bringing errant teens and children into the run with them) and, with all the diplomacy you can muster, calmly explain that someone’s dear, beloved pet — perhaps even theirs — could end up splattered on the avenue unless they use the system properly. Point out how having both doors open simultaneously leaves a big gaping hole out of which a crafty canine can quickly slip.

Incidentally, this also goes for parks that have single gates (at other entry points) which explicitly state “Do Not Use This Gate,” which some folks go right through, signs be damned. Go over and tell them — again, politely, calmly — why that’s a really, really bad idea.

Look, I know we can't stop all gate abusers, but just think: If you change that one person's behavior, perhaps you will have altered the course of history in some small way, prevented a devastating tragedy and kept someone's heart intact.