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for 15 JUN 04: LEASH-MANIACAL
A public hearing at the Government Center tonight will consider proposed changes in Columbus animal control rules. For starters, any dog which acts and sounds aggressive on a continual basis will be considered for the Wardogs' official mascot.
The proposed animal control change which interests me most is a new "leash law." You'd be required to leash your dog on all public property. For the benefit of some of you dog-walkers I've met on the Riverwalk - this means ON a leash, not a leash kept somewhere inside your handbag.
Regular blog readers know I've been frustrated more than once while jogging on the Riverwalk, by people letting dogs run free. Too often, the dogs have decided to chase me - which is strange, because I don't look anything like an Iraqi prisoner.
(In one case awhile back, a man was throwing a ball to his unleashed dog on the Phenix City Riverwalk I wound up having two reasons to slow down - because the man throwing the ball had a police shirt on.)
Another proposed change in the animal control rules would require you to tie down a dog, if it's riding in the back of a pickup truck. So which works best - the carry-on car seat, or the shoulder and lap belt?
The news report about the proposed animal control rules actually used the phrase "tie down" for a dog. Somehow I have a vision of a low-budget rodeo in rural Alabama or Georgia actually doing this....
The third main change in animal control rules would require you to have a shelter for your dog, if you leave it outside more than eight hours. A shelter?! Do you mean there are homes in Columbus without front porches or crawl space?
(How strictly is this rule going to be enforced? If you don't put up a dog house, could you wind up in the "big house?")
Based on the list I heard, it seems obvious these animal control rule changes are aimed at dog owners. I know from personal experience you cannot tie down a cat. In fact, you can barely keep one inside a cardboard box, for a trip to the veterinarian.
BLOG UPDATE: Today is a historic day for Columbus doughnut fans. Krispy Kreme opens its first freestanding store near Columbus Park Crossing. It's obvious why this part of town was chosen - to get as many "doughnuts" in the profit column of the balance sheet as possible.
(So you readers in Taylor and Sumter Counties don't get confused: the store that's opening on Veterans Parkway is a "K.K." - and NOT a "K.K.K.")
Baseball legend Hank Aaron owns this Krispy Kreme shop, and he's offering a lot of opening-day promotions. The first person in line wins free doughnuts for a year. The first group of customers can receive autographed baseballs. And the first person to mention the Atkins Diet probably will be driven directly to the North Columbus Athletic Club.
Didn't Monday's Ledger-Enquirer have a cute front-page picture? It showed little eyeballs on several doughnuts, waving support for the four main shops in Columbus. We seriously hope the paper doesn't do this again, with the candidates for Sheriff.
Now let's put Monday's other interesting items in a box, and seal it with tape:
+ The Muscogee County School Board gave up on the Reading Recovery program, approving a smaller version called "Focused Reading." If some foundation wouldn't provide the money before, maybe LensCrafters will provide eyeglasses now.
+ I happened upon a new free local flyer called "The Christian Weekly," which started about three months ago. It includes an ad for "TCR Anti-Aging - As Advertised on RADIO." If you can't see the product, does that somehow make it more
trustworthy?
+ The Columbus Catfish lost on a ninth-inning home run to Charleston, South Carolina - as the River Dogs marked "Silent
Night II." Fans were given signs for cheers, and told not to make any noises for the first five innings. For the 'Fish, it may have felt almost like a home game.
(The River Dogs even hired mock librarians, to enforce "Silent Night" in the aisles. Now you know what Muscogee County School Board members are doing during their summer vacations.)
+ Instant Message to the University of Phoenix: It's nice to see you care about the Open Door Community House. But I'm still suspicious about you - because with that name, shouldn't your local building be on the Phenix City side of the river?
COMING WEDNESDAY: My neighbor says she's won a big prize! We'll see if she really has....
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