I’m talking, [...]]]>

Dogs have been an enemy of mankind for thousands of years, and at one time had three heads on a single body before genetic engineering made them less terrifying.

As a longtime resident, citizen, and neighbor, I can no longer stay silent about an issue that is a very real threat to our economy, health, and public safety. All three are being jeopardized by a trend of young urbanites acquiring and housinganimals that are known to be unclean, loud, and potentially dangerous.

I’m talking, of course, about dogs.

Dogs are disruptive and destructive creatures whose activities negatively effect property values. Dogs are known to dig holes in back yards. Their owners allow them o urinate and defecate in their back yards with no regard for their neighbors. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the owners make it even worse by taking the dogs off their property and bringing them to urinate and defecate on nearby sidewalks. If you’re a neighbor of a person that has a dog or dogs, there is literally no escape from the pollution.

In addition to polluting our neighborhoods, dogs are known to emit foul odors, particularly if they get wet. They’re also known to roll around in and occasionally eat the feces of other animals. As such, dogs are prone to carrying a litany of bacteria and diseases, including but not limited to ringworm, lime disease, and rabies. These diseases can be passed on to humans and, in some cases, kill them.

They also pose a more immediate and visible threat in the form of physical attacks. This situation is exacerbated by dog fighting rings, which create their own sets of problems and further contribute to a criminal element in our society.

It’s time for us to outlaw dogs in urban areas. They are dirty, drive down property values, carry diseases, and allowing them encourages people to make them fight each other for money and entertainment.

If you disagree and think this sounds ridiculous, please send the link to this blog post – http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/we-need-to-ban-dogs/4935/ – to the members of the Albany Common Council and especially those that oppose the ordinance to allow residents in urban areas to have chickens in their back yards. After all, they’re using the same arguments against the measure, and they all sound every bit as ridiculous. In some cases even more so, particularly when it comes to things like public health and game fighting.

Stop playing to the most ill-informed members of your constituency, and Hell, stop being ignorant yourselves. Vote based on science, facts, and reality, rather than unfounded fears.

This is also, in a very real way, bigger than chickens. The decay in discourse and civic awareness and unity is a growing problem in this country, and it’s a direct result of politicians getting lazy and pandering to the loudest and most ill-informed of their constituents rather than speaking and voting based on facts, common sense, and the greater good. This is hardly a new phenomena, but it’s one that has been fostered for far too long. A vote for this measure isn’t just the right thing to do in this situation, but it’s the right direction for the city – and any city – to take in improving its quality of life.

After the cut, a list of the members of the Albany Common Council and their e-mail addresses. Get to sending.

PRESIDENT: Carolyn McLaughlin
onlybelv@aol.com

WARD 1: Dominick Calsolaro
dcalsolaro@nycap.rr.com

WARD 2: Lester Freeman
Friends4freeman@yahoo.com

Ward 3: Ronald E. Bailey
Lbailey005@nycap.rr.com

Ward 4: Barbara Smith
BarbaraSmith4@aol.com

Ward 5: Jacqueline Jenkins-Cox
jjenkinscox@yahoo.com

Ward 6: Richard Conti
Rc6thward@aol.com

Ward 7: Catherine Fahey
cathyfahey7@yahoo.com

Ward 8: John Rosenzweig
Rosenzweig8@nycap.rr.com

Ward 9: James Sano
Jsano15@aol.com

Ward 10: Leah Golby
leah.golby@gmail.com

Ward 11: Anton Konev
konevforcouncil@gmail.com

Ward 12: Michael O’Brien
twelfward@aol.com

Ward 12: Daniel Herring
danherring47@hotmail.com

Ward 14: Joseph Igoe
Jigoe19932@aol.com

Ward 15: Frank Commisso, Jr.
commisso.frank@gmail.com