NO DOGS ALLOWED? Take This Ordinace And Shove It.

Jersey Towns To Dog Owners - Piss Off!

In a growing and highly disturbing trend, dogs are being banned from public parks - in little towns and big ones - across America.

Slowly.  Quietly. Without you even knowing.  You don't know about this because you haven't bothered to attend your local town council meeting since ........... never?

We are referring to LEASHED dogs, walked by their owners, not off-leash dogs.

I first heard of this issue from the Gary, the Saab mechanic in town, when I stopped to chat about the upcoming My Dog Votes Meetup. 

Gary takes his gorgeous and friendly Doberman  for some off-leash time up to a nearby mountaintop reservation for before heading to work.  He runs into lots of dog owners, but finds many are driving from 5+ miles away, Rutherford, New Jersey.

All the way from Rutherford? 

Turns out you can't walk your dog in any public park there.  Really?  I'm incredulous.  Apparently, Rutherford, NJ has an ordinance prohibiting dogs from public parks.

So I visit the town's website and find the municipal code is stored online, but no mention of said ordinance.

So I call the town, and speak with a lovely woman.  She says all I need to do to get the ordinance information is fill out this form... and fax it back. 

I say, you mean a Freedom Of Information Act form????!!!!!! Is this America?

I tell her no way - you want me to fill out a FOIA form to get a copy of a freakin' local ordinance?  I'm on your site - the code is here - where's the ordinance????  She says she thinks it's a new ordinance and has to call me back.

Thinking back - I just happened to have been in Rutherford, New Jersey for the Fourth Of July celebration -  fireworks and concert.  Then it clicked, I remembered that I hadn't seen a single dog. 

I had taken my camera, hoping to take pictures of dogs and their owners dressed in patriotic garb for an upcoming project.

Hundreds of people strolled through Rutherford's park that warm evening, donned in their star-spangled best of that majestic red, white and blue, ready to celebrate the birthday of the Land Of The Free - The Home Of The Brave. No dogs.  Baby strollers and children running, squealing from excitement and the anticipation of the big show.  No dogs.  Couples on blankets, families picnicking. No dogs.

I put my camera away, thinking it slightly strange, and turned my attention to Rutherford's mayor, making the usual political kissy-face announcements before the show got underway. The band played, the fireworks lit up the clear night sky - everyone felt they belonged in America.

Then I started seeing mention of other towns around the country that were banning dogs from parks. And people started to email me about dog bans in their communities.

East Bay, Rhode Island. No Dog Allowed.  Huntington Beach, California.  No Dogs Allowed.  State College, Pennsylvania.  No Dogs Allowed.  Manalapan, NJ - No Dogs Allowed.

What's with the Jersey thing, anyway? But wait - there's more.  It's like a Ginsu knife commercial.  The question should be.....WHY?

Why are towns banning dogs from public parks?  Are dogs running loose?  Enforce the leash laws. Is it sanitation?  Enforce the pooper scooper law.  Is it insurance - now there's a theory.

Someone should tell me why close to 50% of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens shouldn't be allowed to walk their dog in a public park that's paid for with tax-payer's money - their money.  Your money.  My money.  I won't hold my breath, either, because there is no good reason.

Since I'm such a rabble rouser - I'd like to incite all of you to take action - I mean civic action, and exercise the power of your vote.

Number one - get your butt into your local town clerk's office and get a copy of you local dog ordinances. Find out the deal where you live. 

Got an anti-dog ordinance? Why is it there is the first place?   Tell them you want to change it  - no you should demand change - and organize local dog owners to get it done.

No local ordinance?  Make sure it stays that way. Get your butt into the local town council meetings.  Organize local dog owners and rotate turns on attending those meetings.

For the record - I'm STILL WAITING for Rutherford to get back to me.  But I've got an answer for them and a message for dog owners in Rutherford and across the country.

Banning dogs from public parks is one of the greatest threats to dog ownership in this country.  Banning dogs for any reason in downright Un-American.

Towns and municipalities that ignore dog owners - or are unresponsive to dog owners - 44.9% of U.S. households -  just may be sorry. Then let's see who pisses on whom come election day.

Tell your local elected officials to take their  anti-dog ordinace and shove it.  Then tell your elected officials that My Dog Votes. 

Wake up and smell the dog.

Comments

[Dan]

Why don't we say that whenever a dog is caught without a leash on, all dogs are banned from all public places for the next week. Maybe then owners would take responsibility for their animals so the other owners don't get angry at them

[S. Ellis]

I'm all for banning dogs in public parks. If 100% of dog owners were courteous and cleaned up their dog's excrement there would be no problem. But in my experience at least 25% of dog owners just let their dogs poop in public places and walk away to let someone else step in later. Many public spaces in my area are nearly unusable because of all the dog poop everywhere. We gave you a chance and you blew it. Time to ban dogs from public spaces.

[John Stakes]

To those of you who are trying to eliminate the animals that you think are vicious, I say you can all go to HELL! You hipacrits are sounding just like Hitler when he tried to eradicate all jews. At my home I have my dogs and they are my children, you eliminating them is like killing my children and I know there are millions of people who feel the same way. If America is the land of the free, then keep our lives free, so many people can decide to take God out of the Schools, but they love making money; HELLO dumbass IN GOD WE TRUST is written on the US currency, these animals trust us, and depend on us for LOVE, food, warmth, and caring. This sounds like a child to me, and any good parent would lay down their life for their child. We are not a communist nation; we don't eradicate those who we think are bad or have the breed to be bad. Plain and simple all animals have the right to life just like humans, we hunt for food, so do animals; we love, so do animal; we cry, so do animals; we protect what is ours(family,etc.), so do animals; we feel, so do animals. All in all, ANIMALS are more like us than we want or care to admit. Pit bulls are no different than any other, this plan of action is like saying to take up all black people and put them in jail for the possibillity of a crime that has not been commited yet or may never be, we have done this before in this great country maybe you remember the great Indian Wars, we have learned from that cotastophy; lets not make another one. I incourage all those with any pet, any child, any spouse, any loved one, look at them in the eye and tell them I will kill you and your breed all through California and then the World, if you can do that and live with yourself for doing, then just kill yourself, because you are the person that will make living less fun and enjoyable for others just because your a pathetic miserable little person. Remember GOD wanted to eradicate the earth, and vowed to never do that again until he decided for the end. Last time I checked these people wearn't god. We need to vote against this evil wrong doing, or sign our selves up for destruction from those perfect people, who think they know better. And by the way I am still waiting to meet a perfect person. Let's stop this travisty, before it starts, other wise just end it for everyone, because we all have alittle pit bull in all of us, it is not the breed, it is the upbringing, just like hate begats hatred in others, love will begate love, trust, and freindship with others; ANIMALS AND HUMAN ALIKE. This is my feelings, you need to decide on yours, but remember before you go to bed were do you want your children to be, safe with you were they keep you safe, or DEAD because of what they are; NOT WHO.

[Thomas B. Wian]

I just came from a meeting with Westmoreland Co.Parks and Recreation. They have banned my German shepherd, because it barks at Park maintance personel on motorized carts. And they said some older people complained because they were afraid of it knocking them down. He was never off the leash or the leash never from my hand.

[erin garrison]

In a way I am glad that I live in a small county with little extra money to pursue breed bans or breed laws, however lately I have began to worry that because this is such a small community that one dog bite could send this county on a witch type hunt for all so called "vicious dogs". there are several known dog fighters in the area and if a dog bite were to occur it would probley be caused by one of those people. Why should I suffer, more importantly why should my dogs suffer from others behavior? Politicians who support these breed laws are nothing but "knatzi's" of the dog world. We need to stand up as American Dog Lovers and do to them as we did to Hitler's Knatzi's in the war. We should over throw them and make it known that we will not stand for their behavior. God knows there are enough of us dog lovers to do so.

[E. B. Russell]

I am a senior with two well behaved, gentle small shelties. I will walk my dog in any park if I so choose. As long as I pay taxes like everyone else does, I will not be told I am not allowed to walk in the park with my dogs. I make sure there is never any "debris" left anywhere and have never had any problems. How dare they exclude me because I have two small dogs who do no harm. What will they do? Arrest me and throw me in jail?

[Dianne Singer]

Dog owners are taxpayers, but we're being made into second class citizens by lazy, media-hungry, unthinking politicians. It's okay for sports teams to drive on pedestrian walkways to park close to the ball diamond (I guess athletes can't walk to the diamond from the parking lot) and leave their garbage behind, but dog owners get banned from parks. It's okay for bicyclists to yell "Get out of the way!" at elderly pedestrians, ride two and three abreast and not one of them give way to a pedestrian, and refuse to ring their bells to let pedestrians know they're coming up on them (athletes who can't move one finger), but dog owners get banned from parks. We're told what breeds we can and can't own. Our dogs are threatened by politicans who won't and probably can't deal with real issues. I'm so angry I can't write any more.

[D. Shields]

I wouldn't be surprised if my local area doesn't go with "No Dogs Allowed' in public parks. They have been headed that way for years. (They seem to feel tha local parks have become the domain of the 'Paying Customer'. Sports Teams, & other cash ready Orgs, & Clubs would be some examples.) Cash poor towns/cities will see this as a way to boost revinues, & curry favor with the business that support sports teams etc. And they do pay more taxes than J.Q. Dog owner as an individual.

I read all the time about 'dog damage' to parks & sports areas within those parks. Any digging, turf distubance, or poop is directly attributed to dogs., when if fact, many of the Perps are raccoons, skunks, cats, possums. The local Gov's own lazyness in mowing the grass, & the fact of normal insects, mice, voles being present in the park seems lost on these people. Dog owners are the 'Smokers' of today. We are well & truly on our way to becoming social pariahs if we don't get off our collective duffs & Organize! BSL is just the beginning.