Yesterday the Los Angeles Times online ran a story about the growing dog population downtown. I am a big fan of the L.A. Times, but I wasn't when I read this article. I thought it was sloppy journalism. The major point in the article is that not everyone that lives Downtown is happy about all the dogs. Which is a very fair point, it is a main reason I started Bark & Clark, I wanted to educate Downtown dog owners, help change the negative perception of dogs Downtown and most importantly get involved with the city to create a more dog friendly community in Downtown. The journalist only spoke to or at least reported on a few people that only represent a few blocks in the entire community. I will say that the people were diverse, but they in no way represented the whole of Downtown, they only represent our little neighborhood around 6th and Spring. I live in a loft on 6th and Spring and do understand the frustration of poo on the streets and urine on the sides of buildings, but my frustration is not necessarily with the dogs. First we have to discount about half of the urine because is from humans revealing themselves, not just dogs. Second, it is not the dog's fault if they have learned to go potty on the sidewalk, it is part of growing up in an urban area, it is the owners that are to blame for being irresponsible.
The biggest disappointment in the article is that a large portion are comments made by a local business owner who is a dog lover, but not an expert. Some of the things that were printed were completely false and though they were in quotes and it is only one person's opinion I felt the way the article was written it sounded like advice. I am a certified dog trainer and studying to be a dog behaviorist, there is nothing that says a dog would prefer to play in grass and dirt or do their business there rather than a sidewalk. To suggest that dogs will not be happy Downtown because they cannot play in grass and dirt is absurd. What would make a dog happy is an owner that loves, exercises, feeds, waters and plays with them.
What this article did do for me is make me realize that there is a lot of work for Bark & Clark. My first campaign is to get as many Downtown dog owners as I can to take at least some etiquette classes from me, I think we can educate the owners on the responsibility of being a dog owner, things will change.
To read the L.A. Times article, bark on the link: Bark!
