Amy SF
February 17th, 2007, 01:09 PM
S.F. hot under the dog collar
In a city where the canine lobby has plenty of bite, the debate over leash laws and park 'petiquette' is at a particularly high pitch.
By John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer
February 17, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — One supervisor calls it the political version of a pit bull attack. The mayor says grimly he'll probably solve the homeless problem first. Often-rabid opponents face off in city parks, public meetings and on the Internet, and sometimes resort to shoving matches and name-calling. Canine politics here can be dog-eat-dog.
In this city named after St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, the 120,000 dogs outnumber children. And while the debates are not unique — leash or no leash, dog parks or people parks — San Francisco's arguments are particularly high-pitched. The dog lobby is a political tour de force, with a network to make even the GOP proud. Most parks have pro-dog groups. The leash debate draws huge crowds at hearings, which go on forever and require overflow rooms. Canine political action committees hold Q&A's with would-be officeholders. In the last mayoral race, candidate Matt Gonzales even inspired a group called "Mutts for Matt."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sfdogwars17feb17,1,2898657.story?coll=la-headlines-california
In a city where the canine lobby has plenty of bite, the debate over leash laws and park 'petiquette' is at a particularly high pitch.
By John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer
February 17, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — One supervisor calls it the political version of a pit bull attack. The mayor says grimly he'll probably solve the homeless problem first. Often-rabid opponents face off in city parks, public meetings and on the Internet, and sometimes resort to shoving matches and name-calling. Canine politics here can be dog-eat-dog.
In this city named after St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, the 120,000 dogs outnumber children. And while the debates are not unique — leash or no leash, dog parks or people parks — San Francisco's arguments are particularly high-pitched. The dog lobby is a political tour de force, with a network to make even the GOP proud. Most parks have pro-dog groups. The leash debate draws huge crowds at hearings, which go on forever and require overflow rooms. Canine political action committees hold Q&A's with would-be officeholders. In the last mayoral race, candidate Matt Gonzales even inspired a group called "Mutts for Matt."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sfdogwars17feb17,1,2898657.story?coll=la-headlines-california