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WHITBY FREE PRESS. WETDNESDAY. UNE 8.1988, PAGE 7 PA.GE SEVEN 111E POLITICS 0F PETS It is ini the nature of cats to dor certain arnounts of unescorted roanzing.. the state.. already haq enough to d) wit hout tryîing to con trol [dline de linq uency. AdIai Stevenson People are rarely ambivalent to cats, they either love them or they hate themn. What's more, there is a clear division between "dog loyers" and "cat loyers". Man's two most common pets are vastly different in ternperament and behaviour, yet the cliche 'fighting like cats and dogs" has more to do with their owners than it does with the animals theniselves. Although pets have rarely become an election issue, the current spate of regulatory by-laws airned at controlling the movement of cats rnay well push them into the political spotlight. Clearly, these regulations do not originate -with cat loyers. The political reins are decisively in the hands of the dog lobby. However, it has not always been so. It certainly wasn't dog loyers who brought in poop-and-scoop laws about a decade ago. Has the dog lobby quietly infiltrated our municipal offices? Are they getting even for the embarrassing and undignified duty of cleaning up the doggie-do? If cats are leashed and restrained will the animal rights lobby corne to their defence? Will the cat lobby retaliate with measure to control the size and number of dogs? (Perhaps some suitably bureaucratic formula like one kilogram of dog per hundred square feet of property.) Perhaps both sides could attack the nocturnal noises of their neigbours' pets (neyer their own). The domestication of both cats and dogs began eons ago, before recorded history. It occurred in a totally rural environmient - no fences, no defined property les, unlimited room to roam. Dogs and cats provided companionship and in exchange for limited services were fed and given shelter. Cats, due to their independent nature, neyer went beyond those limited services of cuddling, purring and (when the xnood struck them) mousing, but dogs were trained by their masters for a wide range of specialized jobs like guarding, hunting, and herding. Recause of their liinited utility, cats were always relegated to the barn while the dog had a place on the hearth. Doggie-do was neyer an issue in the country. But urbanization has changed aIl of that - people still want the companionship and warmth that a pet can give, yet the space to roam is either not there or is on the neighbours' property - and some of thera object. For the vast majority of pet owners, usefullness is flot an issue - cuddly and marin is where it's at. On the other hand, defecation and urination, whether cat or dog, at home or on someone else's property, is very much at issue. And so is barking and caterwvauling. Cats and dogs just keep on doing what comes naturally while their maste rs pick up the pieces and calm the neighbo.urs. Because the problem is the urban environnment and not the animais, the issue needs to be dealt with from that perspective. AnimnaIs need space to roam. For a small dog, the confines of a house are adéquate but for a Great Dane or a St. Ber- nard the average urban lot or the end of a leash is far too confining. Although it is illegal for dog owners to turn their dogs loose in the park, you can see the obvious joy the aniimais feel when set free. Dogs can develop neuroses just like humans and an increasing (thougli still low) number of children being niaixned or even killed by large family dogs bas been attributed to their urban confinement. The protection of human life and property clearly requires some regulation, but equally clearly, a great many people will jump to the defence of their pets'rights. So hack to the question of controlling cats. HistoricallY, the licencing of dogs only was not pure happenstance. Dogs can be aggressive and dangerous (You've neyer seen a "B1eware of Cat" sign, have you) and are capable of xnuch More proprty damnage than cats. Furtherniore the roaming of cats does no more damage than squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and other wild animaIs. Feces and urine are mrainly an aesthetic problem for both cats and dogs but can be a public health concern where children are likely to corne in contact with it (such as the sandbox in the public park). Where Plants are either killed or uprooted, a pet owner obviously bas to accept responsibility for the damnage. on the whole, bird poop is a more serious problemn (and a greater health hazard>, yet there are no MEI 1 WIIITBY MUNICIPAL OFFICE STAFF, 1928 Whitby's municipal office consisted of one roomn in the old town hall at Brock and Coîborne Streets in 1928. From left to right are Town Clerk-treasurer, John Frost; bis secretary, Helena Richardson; PUC bookkeeper Marcia Ross and police chief Herbert Gunson. Whitby Archives photo 10 YEARS AGO0 from the Wednesday, June 7, 1978 edition of the WHITBY FREE PRESS " The federal government bas agreed ta, assist in funding an overpass for the CPR tracks on the Whitby-Ajax Town Line. " Kathy H-arris is the 1978 Miss Brooklin Spring Fair. " Former Separate School Trustee Morgan O'Connor, died on June 3 at the age of 51. " Otter Creek residents have formed a Homeowner's Association. 25 YEARS AGO frm the Thursday, June 6, 1963 edition of the WHITBY WEEKLY NEWS " Albert Cox was killed in an accident at Brock and Mary Streets while provincial government departments are holding up approval of traffic lights for this intersection. *The Town of Whitby is seeking to annex four areas of Whitby Township for industrial sites. *Councillor Paul Coath says Whitby's tree control bylaw would violate the civil rights of the- town's citizens. *Complaints by a resident have forcedl the town te dlean up the litter in a park on Mason Drive. 100 YEARS AGO from the Friday June 8, 1888 edition of the WHITBY CHRONICLE " Miss Ida Gertrude Eastwood is the first lady graduate of the University of Toronto from Whitby. " Dock workers went on strike at Wihitby Harbor, demaxmding a wage of 25 cents an hour. The current wage is 20 cents an hour. " The great sporting event of the year will be the basebaîl races between the sprinters of the Buckle Factory and the Tannery. The Witby Hghland Club entertained members of the Ontario County Council with Scottish songs and dances during the council's June session. Àm\ eqcw,,*m ------------- 1 2 1 1 1-