It’s always 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Who was the unqualified winner in the Pacific
Theater in WW2? That would be the ALLIES,
namely the United States with plenty of help from various allies such as Australia,
New Zealand, UK, and others. However,
this was not an easy thing: We all lost
a LOT along the way. Consider this for a
moment… the US Navy’s submarine
losses during WW2. there was plenty
of bloody ground lost during that war.
In any war, the losses are terrible, even for the
winner. Sometimes you have to ask
yourself… is this worth it? If you
believe so, you soldier on.
I have suffered a colossal loss as well as a crushing win
on the Animal Uncontrol front the past few months. I always start with the bad news first, so
here goes…
I stepped up to Chairperson of my local state hiking
organization in the beginning of the year.
As I had noted here
and here,
we have a BIG problem regarding uncontrolled dogs in the woods in my
state.
In any case, after a particularly bad episode regarding
an uncontrolled dog, I decided to put my foot down. There would be NO off leash dogs at any
events. ALL pet nuisances would be
reported to both authorities AND property managers immediately. Last but not least, ALL miscreants would be
banned from the organization for good. Accommodating troublemakers is the kiss of
death, and these punks would NOT be accommodated under my regime PERIOD. I had received many complaints from many
people and many folks were threatening to quit the organization.
Consider that a few folks thought it entertaining to turn
their dogs loose to harass wildlife (usually ducks and geese). Note that this is considered to be poaching under state law and may result
in the owner being arrested and sent
to prison. If a state game warden witnesses such an
act, the perp WILL be arrested.
It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) that
anyone who turns their dog loose in the subtropical jungle that comprises this
state is dumber than a box of rocks. I
mean, they are so dumb that calling them stupid is an insult to stupid people. These woods are filled with ALLIGATORS,
RATTLESNAKES, WATER MOCCASINS, BEARS, PANTHERS, BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS, and other
assorted wild nasties that absolutely DO NOT CARE about your impossibly stupid
supremacy arguments!
Back to the political battle. The entire leadership group was against me,
and in fact turned the whole ordeal into an analysis and subsequent character assassination
of Yours Truly. This was not a hill
surrendered lightly: There were daily
arguments, threats, screaming matches, fingers in the face… all of this went on
for OVER A MONTH.
I will not compromise my standards. I would not be part of an organization that
uses pets to destroy what we are chartered to protect!
I only have so much fight in me. In May I submitted my resignation. The dog nutters “win” this round. Of
course, what indeed have they won? They
still have the government, property managers, and the public against them. As I noted above, poaching is a felony in
this state and I believe sufficient
grounds to shoot a dog. Partially
due to my urgings, the state park service has initiated a pogrom against
irresponsible pet owners. I, and many
others, continue to hike “hot”….
Get the point, Fido owners?? Maybe you
won THIS round, but stay tuned….
well, that's unfortunate that dog nuts won but you have to choose your battles and the home front is far more important.
ReplyDeletei like your new approach.
I feel the same way. I get SO tired of pointing out the same facts about pit bulls, for instance. Anymore I don't get far with the nutters before I block them or just leave the website. It's like beating your head against a brick wall. How long you want to do that for?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteYou belonged to a hiking club. I am pretty old now and can no longer hike, but I belonged in my younger days to clubs in Scotland, Washington D.C. (the Wanderbirds), New York City (New York Hiking Club), and Australia. It was always understood that on these hikes, there were to be no radios and of course no dogs. Fancy anyone who wants to enjoy the sounds abnd sights of the bush or woods taking a dog, which will want to rush off at every distraction, even if it's on a leash. Amazing. I thought these particular restrictions should be in a Club's constitution, but I guess it's so accepted not to create noise or distractions, that it is not written in. But I once went on a hike to Hook Mountain (at Nyack outside NYC). Just 3 of us turned up, another female and myself and a man. He was wearing a raincoat, but when he wanted something taken out of his racksack, the other female found out he was stark naked underneath! I must admit I had a good laugh. This bloke, a teacher called John who was always in strife with the Eduation Dept. because of his nudity beliefs, died a few years later - was electrocuted while working on something at home.
Re the dog barking problem: I had over 6 years of barking where I live. I had a terrible time with the bullying neighbours. They were supported by some of the other neighbours, and the local paper ran a front page saying I was "the neighbour from hell." I complained to the Australian Press Council and the juornalist got the sack out of it. But it took a long time to bering those neighbours to heel (long story). The dogs are gone now, thank heavens. The owners should have been had up for stalking me, and for animal cruelty. But irresponsibvle dog owners are Royalty, and the victims are just dirt.
From: Audrey, Australia