It Takes a Village to Raise a Puppy

We would all agree that the dog lovers in this community are dedicated and extraordinary!  Having lived here for 37 years and raised over 25 puppies of my own or service dog puppies, I have seen a lot of changes.  Once upon a time, people only had one dog.  And, not everyone had a dog. Now, everyone seems to have at least one dog or MORE!

This has created an extraordinary pressure on our community in many ways. There is literally no place to walk a dog anymore without seeing more dogs and people.  Some locations, particularly the “dog park”, Trail Creek, Adams Gulch, Quigley, Slaughterhouse and Old Cutters have become a mecca for dedicated dog owners to spend time enjoying their dogs. 

Unfortunately, the other side of this is that some dog owners have somehow lost sight of the sense of community and that EVERYONE has a right to enjoy this phenomenal area even if they are afraid of dogs, own a puppy or own a dog that needs personal space.  

Owning a dog here and enjoying our valley means being responsible and sensitive to others.  Your dog is NOT the only dog and does not have more rights than another dog, nor does your dog have more rights than any human enjoying our outdoors.  People seem to think that no matter what, their dog should get to run free. Running free is a privilege, not a right.  An off leash dog means your dog MUST come when it is called the FIRST time no matter what.  Regardless of whether you think your dog is friendly, if someone else asks you to call your dog because their dog needs space or they are afraid of dogs, you MUST honor that in a friendly and compassionate way.  

I see “bully” (meaning obnoxious, dangerous greeter) dogs that accost puppies after the puppy owner asks the bully dog owner to call their dog.  The bully dog owner yells, “He’s friendly!” When in fact the dog is a bully and runs up to the puppy and terrorizes it which can scar the pup for life. This is NOT acceptable.

I had my puppy, Mariah, with me one day last winter and she needed to get out of the van to go potty. There, in the parking lot at Rotary Park, were no less than EIGHT piles of dog crap that someone felt the Poop Fairy was going to pick up for them.  I couldn’t get Mariah out of the van and had to stop 4 other times before I could find a place that didn’t have dog crap in the parking lot.  How is this a community of responsible and caring dog owners?

While working a client dog in Festival Meadow off Sun Valley Rd, there were three bags of poop, no owners in sight, just waiting for the Poop Fairy once again. One bag of poop had a dollar bill under it like some “help” was going to do the work for the entitled dog owner!  Really?

PLEASE!!!! Leaving your dog’s poop behind is just plain irresponsible and unkind.  It is not fair to anyone or any dog OR wildlife!

Allowing your dog to run up to every person and every dog ESPECIALLY when they have asked you to call your dog is also IRRESPONSIBLE and rude.  Be compassionate with others!  Teach your dog how to come and then sit next to you politely.  Ask first if your dog can play with another dog.

Let’s ALL do our share! Be the village that works together to be kind, courteous and RESPONSIBLE! 

Caption:  Waiting for the Poop Fairy, Festival Meadow, Sun Valley Road.