Lakewood Dog Park, after a snowfall. Photo by Gary Rice

When I was a Political Science major in college, there were frequent discussions about the world of politics generally, and running for office, particularly. I seem to recall that there were at least two topics virtually guaranteed to be off-limits (if handled in a negative way) for anyone wanting to get elected to any kind of office. One was cats, and the other was dogs.

Let's face it. The topic of one's pet can be a very personal issue for each of us. Pets become an integral part of our families. They touch our lives in ways that simply cannot be measured in quantifiable terms. They provide for us a sublime connection to other kinds of lives, and by extension, to the greater world beyond.

No matter what the animal, I've seen love at work in every pet I've owned. My own parrots express this every day to me, as did my dogs, cats, gerbils, and all the other animal friends that I've made along the way. There's even a certain squirrel that has me very well-trained...but that's another story.

I've been following the controversial proposal about banning so-called pit bulls in Lakewood with great interest. There was also a question raised about whether or not dogs should be allowed into city parks (they are not, currently). At the time this column was written, there had been an incredible nine thousand plus views and over one hundred and seventy contributions to a particular Lakewood Observer online Observation Deck discussion regarding pit-bulls and the issue of so-called dangerous dog breeds. Obviously, people feel passionately about their dogs, as do those having the point of view that dangerous dogs (whatever that might mean) need greater regulation, if not banning in our city.

Since I was born a country boy, I've been around dogs since before I could talk or walk. Although we haven't had one in many years, I certainly like dogs as a general rule. (Although I'll be the first to admit that one should not assume that all dogs are friendly.)

Thinking that I might write a column about the Lakewood dog story, there was only one thing for me to do, and that was to go to Lakewood's dog park. For those of you who haven't been there, it's a large, gravel-paved and fenced-in exercise area, next to Lakewood's waste-water treatment facility in the Metroparks near the Detroit entrance to the valley.

You might recall there was an issue awhile back with a complaint from some people in Rocky River about that park. Well, the park's still there, and is very well utilized. You really ought to see it...or better yet, actually go inside the compound! Dad and I went down there recently on a Sunday afternoon. We entered the double gate and found a bench to sit on. At the time we were there, I would guess there were thirty or forty dogs running around freely, enjoying each other's company while their proud owners looked on and supervised. Any doo-doo issues were quickly managed by their respective owners. Barking issues were minimal.

Now I will admit that I was extremely reluctant to go into that compound with all those free-ranging dogs. (The things I go through, just to get a story for you...) All, however, seemed to have a far greater interest in each other than in me (with the particular exception of a Jack Russell terrier, who insisted upon leaping into my lap and licking my face!). Some of the big-boy doggies, by the way, started to bother that Jack Russell and found out very quickly that he was not one to be messed with!

I was particularly interested in the behavior of any dogs having the characteristics of pit-bulls, or any other of the so-called dangerous dog types that some people were talking about. Interestingly enough (as far as I've been able to figure out), there is no official "pit-bull breed," and that's been one of the problems with trying to legislate these animals off the streets. Historically, pit bull-type dogs seem to have been mixed-breed animals, having larger heads and stocky, muscular bodies. Commonly, these dogs were some mix of bulldog and terrier. Their bad political aspect seems to have come from the historic development and use of these animals in dog-fighting rings. Although dog fighting is illegal in our country, it is still unfortunately practiced every now and then. Ironically, while these types of dogs can sometimes be hostile to other dogs, they are said to be often quite accepting with humans and supposedly can make affectionate pets (according to a variety of sources--although I would quickly add, in my opinion, that NO animal should be allowed unsupervised interaction with young children).

There were a number of those types of dogs running with the others on that Sunday afternoon at the dog park. Along with these were numerous other dogs, some of whom would no doubt fit into other categories that some politicians might like to ban. Yes, I did indeed have a small case of the jitters at first, as these beasts freely romped around our bench. (The dogs seemed to LOVE our bench!) As time went on, however, I felt to be truly among friends. Those dogs, all of them, were far more alike than different. The little ones would chase the big ones, and then the game would reverse. Friendships were made and broken by each dog. When it seemed as if some kind of trouble might be starting for a particular dog, they would find refuge: sometimes with their owners, and sometimes under our own bench! We stayed at the park for about an hour, utterly fascinated by the many new friends we had made and by their behaviors. We've also been back there a few more times as, frankly, it's fun to see all those doggies interact with each other.

Well, I'm still not sure about letting dogs into Lakewood's municipal parks. Dogs are, after all, only as well-trained as their owners will train them, and let's face it, some owners are more responsible than others about training and managing their dogs--or with picking up after them. (Even in my front yard, I will occasionally find an unpleasant reminder of some owner's lack of responsibility.) Once in awhile, too, I've seen people around town running their animals without a leash, and I think that's a really bad idea. If the dog sees another dog, squirrel, cat, or whatever, a chase is more than possible, and a potentially tragic result that is certainly avoidable.

On the other hand, I see the banning of so-called "breeds" in Lakewood to be a really bad idea too. The dogs that Dad and I saw at the dog park were, after all, dogs. They behaved like dogs do, until their owners reminded them who ruled the roost. I would think that if a particular dog does something bad, then that's a particular issue to be dealt with at that time. While different dogs have been bred over the years for different purposes, the fact remains that a well-trained animal will generally do as its owner directs it to. It is certainly the responsibility of the owner to keep their dog safely under control. As was pointed out on the online discussion, owners also need to check with their insurance companies about owning certain dogs, as liability coverage issues can arise. As a further observation, some of the dogs at the dog park wore muzzles, reflecting understandable precautions by their respective owners.

In the pulse of this city, I think that we need to learn to accept each individual--human or animal--on their own terms. I feel that to do otherwise would be to categorize a group of living beings based on utterly subjective political norms. It seems to me that far too many tragedies have transpired in the past due to human prejudice. Let's not start pre-judging a group of animals. We really should know better by now.

At least, that's my opinion, and that's the doggoned truth. (Now, where was that flea powder?)