BALLSY MOVE
Dear Dog Ethicist:
I go to a local dog park regularly and 99% of the owners have spayed or neutered their pets. But there’s one dog there who hasn’t been fixed and it makes my normally non-aggressive dog very aggressive. I’ve spoken to the owner and he has no plans to get him neutered in the foreseeable future. So now when I see this dog enter the park, I put my dog on a leash and leave – even if I just got there — and my dog winds up getting zero exercise.
Mike,
Dallas
The easy solution is to rearrange your schedule so you don’t run into Mr. Ballsy and his human sidekick, but why should you? You aren’t the problem. Unneutered dogs often bring out the worst in other dogs, which is why there are laws about neutering. But every city is different. Where I live you have to have your dog fixed at four months – unless you have a special breeder’s permit or the canine is in some kind of service training. In Dallas, the law is six months (with several exceptions). Assuming that this intact dog is older than that, my advice is to approach the non-neuterer and politely suggest that he put his dog on leash, since his pet is (unwittingly) provoking yours.
If there are other dogs who are also affected by the balled bully, you can tackle the problem as a group. But proceed with caution: it’s not unusual for people who don’t neuter to be dicks. And if macho man continues to insist that he’ll never take his dog’s doghood away then weld a pair of these onto the back of his car. (https://www.ehomeappliances.com/united-pacific-70145-large-solid-color-rubber-ball-black?language=en¤cy=USD
If he likes balls so much, then let him drive around with them.
Adogable Swag
