By Rebecca Romeo
Paul Smith’s College Professor

The Dog Policy is ‘For the Birds’! Literally.

On Friday, September 29, 2017, I attended the SGA meeting. Among other topics of conversation, the PSC Dog Policy was discussed. Here’s what I think.

We are continuing the nationwide trend of catering to the few, while ignoring the wishes of the majority. Let’s give everyone a ribbon, so we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings, despite the fact that they did not win the race. Let’s pass students to the next grade, in spite of the fact that they cannot write a complete sentence or do simple math, because failure is detrimental to their psyche.
Seriously…why?

1. Fear. I do not want anyone to be fearful in my classes, and some people are afraid of dogs. According to Robert London (2011) in Fear of Man’s Best Friend: A Self-Help Strategy that Works, it appears that “safe exposure to a dog” will help (para. 6). “Get over it,” is not helpful, and students need to speak up if close proximity to a dog is that stressful, and I doubt any faculty member will ignore them.
2. Allergies. These are real, but how, then, can service dogs not trigger the same allergies that pets can? If a dog is allowed in an office, but not a common area, how are allergies not set off if the dog has to walk through the common area to get to said office? What happens if someone with a service dog is in the same class as someone with allergies? How bad does the allergy have to be? Itchy eyes, runny nose, or life-threatening? Benadryl or Epi-pen?
3. Irresponsible pet owners. Yes, there are a few, but the majority of dogs are well behaved (on leash or off) and their owners pick up after them. The sustainability fund could purchase a few of the post mounted waste containers, so that if someone forgets to carry their own bag, they can easily pick up after their dog.
4. Crap. See number three. And if this is really the issue, let’s RESTORE THE SHORE so the geese stay off the campus, and we can play on the Great Lawn without stepping on goose poo.

BTW, “For the Birds,” indicates something that is worthless. Here’s why:

“Origin: Before the advent of cars, one could see and smell the emissions of horse-drawn wagons in New York. Since there was no way of controlling these emissions, they—or the undigested oats in them—served to nourish a large population of English sparrows. If you said that something was for the birds, you’re politely saying that it’s horse crap.”

Informal References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/two-minute-shrink/201102/fear-mans-best-friend-self-help-strategy-works
https://www.jamestownadvanced.com/t/category/cityscapes/dog-park/post-mounted-dog-waste-container
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/94994/origin-of-for-the-birds-trivial-worthless-only-of-interest-to-gullible-peop