When dogs divide

In Park City, dogs have long enjoyed a free and sacred status comparable to India’s “sacred cows.” Over the years they have multiplied and started to encroach upon human space and habitat. If you live in a house with a lawn, chances are you have to pick dog droppings on a daily basis. Park City also has a leash law that is seldom respected by our righteous dog owners. Early this year, a Parkite named Bob Berube who claimed to be aggressed by a dog roaming free, sprayed it with mace and started a big controversy. The dog’s owner complained to the police and was the one who got fined. Several months later, Berube warded off another dog attack with his pepper-spray and this time the owner of the pouch hit him. The news report in our local press generated hundreds of messages pitting one half of the population against the other. More recently, fliers were posted warning dog owners of Bob Berube’s vigilante acts, a sign of the tension that still prevail between the man and undisciplined dog owners months after the second incident. Where do we stand in all this? We fully support Berube, he’s our hero and we have started to become even more worked up any time we encounter an unleash dog and see owners not picking up after their "little darlings." Oh yes, we’ve also just purchased some pepper spray that we now carry in our pocket when we run, mountain bike or hike the trails!