by Bernie Heidkamp
At first glance, I was very excited to see a story about dogs and dog parks on the frontpage of the Chicago Tribune. Obviously, we're biased, but we like to think of the creation and maintenance of the Dog Friendly Areas in Chicago as one of the shining examples of a successful citizen-led, city-supported initiative to improve the quality of life for everyone in the area.
I also realize, though, that the dog parks fly under the radar. People seem to discover a place like Puptown by accident or word-of-mouth. So frontpage-level publicity is obviously something to cheer.
Or so I thought.
My excitement died down almost immediately as I realized the story was full of blatant misrepresentations of dogs and their owners as well as the dog park experience in general.
Relying on random anecdotes and a misuse of "data," reporter Lisa Black portrays dog parks of dens of iniquity, full of aggressive dogs and irresponsible owners.
Where to begin? Well, how about the photo that accompanies the story on the frontpage. It shows two dogs at Pooch Park in Skokie baring their teeth at each other. Obviously, we're meant to be fearful of these vicious creatures -- stark evidence of the dangers of dog parks.
Anyone who knows dogs looks at the photo and sees two dogs playing and having fun together. Yes, they are baring their teeth (mouths, of course, act as human hands in four-legged interactions), but from the submissive belly-up position of one of the dogs and the relaxed body language of the other, they are having a good time.
The caption does acknowledge that they are playing, but it adds, "Sometimes dog play turns rough and problems result."The shock intent of the photo is clear.
The misuse of the photo becomes a microcosm for the entire piece. Black essentially ignores what is actually going on in the dog parks to advance the thesis that, as the headline reads, "Dog parks bring out beast in some pets," and the sub-headline follows with "Fights and maulings raise questions about who is responsible for maintaining control."
In the second paragraph, Black cites her "data." After an anecdote about "Deardra" -- a Chihuahua mix who was attacked at a Libertyville dog park last July -- she writes, "Deardra is among dozens of dogs bitten or attacked in the past year at the region's dog parks, according to data kept by various agencies." Later in the piece, Black gives a little more detail about where she got that number. Lake County said they receive 20-25 reports of dog-on-dog bites annually and Dupage County recorded 26 dog-on-dog incidents last year. Chicago, Cook County, McHenry County and Will County do not keep statistics -- and Chicago and Cook County officials say they "have received very few reports."
Putting aside the fact that she extrapolated her "dozens" from a very shaky sample, her data is meaningless unless it is put in the context of how many dogs go through the dog parks and how many dog-on-dog incidents occur outside the dog parks.
For example, on a nice summer day, the Lake County system might see thousands of dogs. I don't claim to have the statistics, but from personal observation of all four of their parks, I'd says that's a very good possibility. How many dog visits does that make a year? In that context, 20-25 incidents appears to be a pretty amazing track record.
Being an active member of Puptown and a frequent visitor to many other dog parks in the Chicagoland area, I know that dogs do fight at dog parks. And I also know the sinking feeling I get when I see an irresponsible owner (or negligent dog walker) enter the park -- and I get that dog-owner sixth sense that something bad is going to happen.
But those "incidents" are few and far between. And I don't say that to diminish the pain of those owners and dogs who have been victims of attack, but only to point out that for the great majority of dog owners, dog parks are places filled with a unique joy, the kind of happiness that can only occur in a genuine community -- both for the dogs and the dog owners themselves.
And community is what rules the day at Puptown and most other dogs parks I've been associated with. Although the headline asserts that there are "questions about who is responsible for maintaining control" at the parks, Black provides no evidence for such anarchy.
On the contrary, reading between the lines of the story, it is clear that a coherent system is in place at most dog parks -- usually some type of citizen-city partnership -- that takes their responsibility very seriously.
We at Puptown certainly do -- because we know what a special place it is.
Here's a news release we received about a pet photo search. Good luck!
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