Question
English 02: When Dogs Are More Important than peopleI moved to Brooklyn 15 years ago and have since spent
several mornings each week walking, running or just greeting the day in Prospect Park. In recent years, these tranquil mornings have been too often disrupted by snarling dogs who are permitted off their leashes in the early morning during what the park system refers to as courtesy hours. In the last year alone. I have been cornered by ill behaved dogs who were clearly unfit to run loose in a public park.
The owners of such dogs rarely apologize and sometimes behave as belligerently as their animals. The owner of a big, menacing boxer promised to kill me when i told him i would mace the dog if it charged me again.
Animal welfare officials estimate that there are a million dogs in the city or roughly one canine for every eight human beings. The number of dogs will continue to grow, thanks to new federal regulations that allow the 430, 000 people who live in New York City public housing to own dogs.
Over the last 10 years, the number of dogs bites reported to the City Health Department has ranged from 6,000 to early 11, 000 a year. The number of biting dogs taken into custody by animal care officials grew by nearly a third as more and more New Yorkers who were ill prepared to train and handle such dogs acquired them anyway.
With too few park officers to cover all the boroughs, city park authorities rely on loosely organized groups of dogs owners who use peer pressure to bring owners into line. Conscientious dog owners routinely chase down others who break park rules and fail to clean up after their dogs. But, fearing that poorly behaved dogs will be euthanized, dog owners sometimes suppress news of even serious maulings that should be reported to the police.
The police and the health department hold the ultimate responsibility for controlling dogs proved to be vicious. But if owners wish to keep their privileges in the parks, they will need to show as much concern for public comfort and safety as for the rights of their animals.
Excerpt from Brent Staples, “When Dogs Are More Important Than People” in the New York Times, Editorial Observer, July 10, 2000, page 16, Week in Review section.
Writing Directions:
Read the passage above and write an essay responding to the ideas it presents. In your essay, be sure to Summarize the passage in your own words, stating the Author’s most important ideas. Develop your essay by identifying one idea in the passage that you feel is especially significant, and explain its significance. Support your Claim s with evidence or example drawn from what you have read. Learned in school, and or personally experienced.
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