Pet control is the big lesson in poodle saga

<img width="134" height="120" align="left" src="http://www.baltimorespokes.org/images/articles/20060206183351303_1.gif" alt="">by Gregory Kane - Baltimore Sun

The first lesson is for Tippett: Jacquelyn is a poodle, madam, not your &quot;little girl,&quot; as you referred to her in the news story. Dogs, while they have a reputation as bright animals, do have some limitations on their intelligence.

If I had been in the jogger's spot, I might not have kicked Jacquelyn. But I would have tried to explain the situation to the pooch in clear English.

&quot;I'm a 200-pound man. You're a 4-pound poodle. I have a large foot that can kick you several feet. Do the math, dog. Do the math.&quot; The math for humans versus poodles confrontations comes to, I suspect, something like Humans 3,247, Poodles 0.

But dogs can't do math. That's the point. That's why we have leash laws.

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** Owner of poodle is solely to blame **
The only person to blame in the poodle vs. jogger controversy is the owner of the dog (&quot;Poodle vs. jogger gets plenty of hackles up,&quot; Feb. 1).
Had she had her dog leashed and under control, as is required by law, there would have been no incident.

If a dog, any dog, is nipping at me and I've tried to shoo the dog away, my next instinctive response is to kick the dog away. And if, after the first kick, the dog comes back, yes, I'd kick it again.

Who would stand there and let a dog bite them?

Perhaps the anger poodle owner Janice Tippett has is really anger at herself for not having her pet under control.

But how much easier it is to blame someone else.

Cindy Sexton
Baltimore

** Force jogger used entirely excessive **
I can't believe that this is a debate: An adult jogger repeatedly kicked and crippled a 4-pound dog in front of its owner and their home and some people think that's OK (&quot;Bow wouch,&quot; editorial, Feb. 2)? Is a dog being loose a free pass to brutalize it?
A person is entitled to use reasonable force to protect himself or herself if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary.

But the violence a large man turned on a tiny animal was not reasonable.

The poodle, Jacquelyn, was no real threat to the jogger's physical safety, and if any threat could be construed, his reaction was far beyond reasonable - and rises to the level of criminal behavior.

He should be prosecuted for his actions.

Leighann Keane
Annapolis

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** Jogger had a right to defend himself **
I believe the article &quot;Poodle is paralyzed after kick from jogger&quot; (Jan. 28) had the wrong spin.
While it is unfortunate that the dog is paralyzed, there is nothing in the article indicating that the dog's owner made any attempt to control the dog or call it back.

And I think the term &quot;nipping at his heels&quot; is a kind way of describing a small dog biting at someone's foot.

I believe the jogger was justified in defending himself against a biting dog.

While it is possible that some excessive force was used, an individual under attack from a dog, no matter how cute or small, does face an adrenaline rush of fear and anger (the flight or fight instinct) over the attack.

And what did the dog's owner expect the jogger to do when he was being bitten?

Charles Herr
Baltimore

Now let me see if I understand this situation correctly:
Dog attacks jogger on public street. Jogger defends himself from dog attack. And the police go looking for the jogger?

Ah, only in pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly Maryland.

Phil Manger

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** Bow wouch! **
Originally published February 2, 2006

The suggestion that an Edgewater jogger should be prosecuted for kicking a pesky poodle that was nipping at his heels is preposterous. The dog's owner should have had her beloved pet, Jacquelyn, on a leash. That's the law in Anne Arundel County.
The incident occurred last Thursday when Jacquelyn broke free from Janice Tippett as she was loading the dog into the car. The toy poodle ran into the street, yapping and snapping at the jogger, who twice kicked the dog. The poodle, weighing just 4 pounds, suffered temporary paralysis and was under veterinary care for four days.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is pressing the Anne Arundel County state's attorney, Frank R. Weathersbee, to charge the jogger under the state's animal cruelty laws. The group's barking up the wrong tree; the dog's owner is primarily at fault here. She too could be cited in the case.

If the jogger had tripped and fallen while trying to elude the poodle, and then sued, we would have chewed him out for that.

When the jogger discovered days later that he had injured the poodle - Ms. Tippett had leafleted her neighborhood with &quot;wanted posters&quot; - the runner rightly phoned the dog owner. He also called the police.

No one needs to end up in the doghouse over this mishap. Once Jacquelyn is back on her paws, PETA should offer to send her to canine charm school to brush up on her manners, even if she was instinctively trying to protect her turf. As for the jogger, he should carry a bottle of lemon water. A squirt or a spray can be off-putting to a pouncing pooch. And when all else fails - try a doggie treat.

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