Columnist to irresponsible dog owners: "I will end your pet"

Though the general message is common sense, here are my problems with the column:

1. It was too long
2. It had a general sense of I don't like dogs and am scared of them. Some people are like that so state that up front instead of trying to make it sound like all dogs are mean and want to eat old ladies.
3. Be more specific. You say a dog charged at you twice. And then what? Apparently it was just coming to say hi or protecting it's space and didn't do anything, so why not state that?
4. You could also state how people could be more careful around dogs. I always keep my dogs on a leash but if you are walking fast toward me while they are going to the bathroom or something, they may think you are a threat and bark at you. If you reach to pet an unknown dog without asking, they may not like it. Stay at least a leash length away from me and my dogs and they won't trouble you.

 

And why didn't this phrase raise a red flag when it was being edited? Could it be that virtually NONE of The Ann Arbor News' copy editors were hired by AnnArbor.com? It was, after all, a way to save money.

My first take as a copy editor on that column is to return it to Ms. Keeping and ask her to write something that's not, well, juvenile.

 

Because they need lots of space to be happy and thrive. If you want to keep a pet in an enclosed area, just get a small dog or a cat. Not to mention that all dogs have at least the remote potential for a violent incident, no matter how perfect and sweet they've been up to that point in their lives.

 

If you have a fenced yard and take your dogs for walks there should be no issues.

 

ideally, any dog would refer wide-open spaces to roam free and easy. but life is not always ideal, we all agree, and i've seen 'big' dogs do just fine in apartment spaces. sure, if i was dog-shopping when i lived in a small apartment, i'd be looking for a smaller dog. but many, big dog owners have their living quarters change. when i found and took in my first dog, 'skippy,' 34 years ago, i was living in the catskills. when i returned to school and she moved into my college suite, she was e happy, and why not? she had food and shelter and constant attention. breaks at my folks' brooklyn apartment, skippy was happy, too.

dogs of all sizes who are loved can thrive in any dwelling -- as long as they're loved.

 

Yours -- no good. It's all about me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. And I'm the only person who matters.

 

Your point?

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I've heard that type of sentiment before. And I always wonder where it is that copy editors get to throw columns back at the columnist for a complete rewrite. The ACE, yes. An upper-level editor, yes. Sports editor, yes. Copy editor? Not so much.

 

All work and no play makes Slappy a dull boy.

 

The words "something something" were not in there, were they?

 

In summary, your child and my dog aren't all that special.

 

So where do we stand on spanking our pets?