Dogs

(This letter to the Editor was written in response to a City Council proposal to open several off-leash dog parks in Waterloo.  The Waterloo Region Record, Aug. 6, 2011, A10)

Another accommodation for dog-lovers – an off-leash dog park, so dogs can run freely as they were meant to do.  But, should we even have dogs in the city?  And why do we have dogs?  Not only one, but two or three dogs per family.

Perhaps we keep them for security reasons.  A dog barking in a house or a yard certainly has a way of discouraging a would be burglar.  But, have we deteriorated so far in our society that we need dogs to protect our property?

Perhaps we need dogs for personal safety.  I am sure that a woman feels a lot safer walking in an isolated park if she has a large dog with her.  But again, isn’t this a sad commentary on our society.

Perhaps we need dogs for companionship.  Given the depersonalization of our society, our reliance on virtual relationships on the internet, there is nothing like a dog right beside you, wagging its tail furiously, asking for your attention, and giving you all the attention that you crave.

I want to dare to suggest that our love of dogs is a symptom of a sick society.  Perhaps we need to spend some time addressing this sickness before we create off-leash dog parks in our fair city.