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Monday, November 14, 2005
Going to the dogs
There is a hot-button issue in my community that periodically gets the emails flying and the tempers flaring. It isn't a political or a religious issue... and this issue has no right or left side.
The issue that is able to get nearly everyone's panties in a bunch is dogs. Well actually, not dogs in general (although there are those who object to the very existence of the canine species) but rather a couple of specific issues related to dogs:
First is the issue of Stray/loose dogs. Israel's problem with feral cats tends to eclipse the nuisance value of nearly every other animal species, but in truth there are many places in the country with a very real problem with feral and/or loose dogs.
My town, like many relatively affluent communities, has a fairly high number of pet dogs. I make the connection between relative affluence and dog ownership because it makes no sense to host a perfectly tuned protein digestion machine under one's roof if putting protein on one's table is sometimes an 'iffy' thing.
So with the relatively large number of dog owners in Efrat, it is inevitable that there are going to be a few (OK, a bunch) that are not the most responsible people on the planet. Many dog owners don't spay/neuter their pets, and many of these make only a token attempt to keep their dogs at home.
Add to this the fact that there are plenty of feral dogs from the surrounding Arab communities that come to Efrat for its superior culinary and romantic opportunities, and you have a problem of ever-expanding proportions.
The second issue, which is tangentially related to the first, is that of dog sh*t.
Not only do the strays avail themselves of our streets for the purposes of completing the digestive process, but many dog owners who responsibly keep their pets on leashes refuse to pick up after their own dogs!
One particularly memorable Friday morning I was playing center field in a pick-up softball game on the town's baseball field. In the middle of the game a 30-something woman walked her German Shepherd right through the outfield and stood patiently by while it deposited an ankle-high, steaming, Tom Carvel-worthy pile of crap within 3 feet of where I stood. When the dog had finished its business the two of them calmly began walking away.
I called time out and yelled after the woman to pick up her dog's mess. With the two teams watching, she indignantly said, "This is a public place, I don't have to!". and turned again to walk away.
I'm not normally in the habit of threatening women, but I very calmly got her attention by saying, "Lady, you are going to take your dog's sh*t with you... it's up to you whether you carry it off the field wrapped in a piece of paper or smeared across the back of your sweater".
She began shrieking that she would call the police and that I had no right to threaten her. But she didn't walk away, either.
We waited there staring at each other for almost a full minute without speaking... with two teams of softball players waiting to see how things would play out... and then I finally said, "Nu... time to choose... paper or sweater?"
With an enormous amount of dignity (nobody does dignity like angry Israelis) she picked up an old windshield leaflet that was laying on the ground nearby, scooped up the crap and walked off the field. Her parting gesture was to look pointedly back at me and toss the crap - paper and all - into a bush at the edge of the field.
I'm sure in her mind she showed me!
As most of you know, I am a dog owner. Like most dog owners I have a blind spot when it comes to many of the fears and neuroses that some people have about dogs. But that doesn't mean I let my dog run wild or leave land mines on which unsuspecting pedestrians might trod.
I know that some communities have enacted stiff ordinances to deal with some of these issues and some have even gone so far as to put up little dispensers containing plastic glove/bags with which to clean up after one's pet. These are all good ideas, but I'm wondering how to overcome the nearly universal Israeli willingness to overlook 'quality of life' ordinances in the face of a nearly universal Israeli municipal unwillingness to enforce such statutes.
Suggestions are welcome.
Posted by David Bogner on November 14, 2005 | Permalink
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Comments
david-You are my new hero. I can't tell you how much this drives me crazy, the garden in front of my apartment building is ankle deep in dog sh*t. Its gross and disgusting. I always tell my husband that if I ever became the mayor of any israeli city, the first thing I would do is start fining *and enforcing* people that do this. Its gross beyond gross.
I have 2 cats, how would people like it if I just starting emptying the litter box over the edge of my balcony..or, why the hell not, you know, just like that woman said, its a public place...why don't we all just squat and let out a dump (sorry if I'm getting vulgar here but this post really hit a nerve with me).
On top of it, there are a number of feral dogs where I live and I'm scared sh*tless everytime I walk by that they will attack me. when they start barking at me, I start praying and walking quickly....if there is one thing that American immigrants, or any immigrants that come from countries where this is unacceptable, could do to change this country...this is it! I would die a happy woman. Of course, number 2 is the banking system.....Thank you for the opportunity to rant. That felt really good.
Posted by: Naomi | Nov 14, 2005 12:49:12 PM
You're lucky if it's just dogs. I can't count how many times I've seen children, often with their mothers and/or fathers, use a wall or bush near the playground for their, uh, needs. And I'm not just talking about watering the grass, I'm afraid. I realize that sometimes a kid "just needs to go," but what ever happened to asking someone to use their bathroom? Or trying to go before leaving the house? If people who did it were at least embarrassed about it, and tried not to, I could understand if occassionally, "arrangements" needed to be made, but I've seen so many people take offense, as though I'm some kind of istanis (if you know the word, it captures the idea perfectly -- the best I can do in English is snob) for wanting the park in front of my apartment to be free from refuse.
Sheesh.
Posted by: Mike Miller | Nov 14, 2005 1:20:37 PM
Naomi... Unfortunately, even with the culture of tiyulim and protecting nature, there is still a dirty little secret that people don't like to talk about. that secret is that Israelis are self-absorbed, lazy slobs. They will throw trash out of their car window rather than wait until they get home. They will leave a picnic awash in anything not edible that they brought with them rather than have to pack it out with them. They are in a hurry and who are you (mi atah bichlal?!) to tell them what to do??? It's frustrating. I'm glad you felt better after your rant... I didn't.
Mike Miller.. I have a news flash for you... it's not just the kids. A while back I wrote about the Israeli adults who have no shame about public urination.
Posted by: David | Nov 14, 2005 1:33:08 PM
My wife always says "I have nothing against dogs, it's dog owners I can't stand". We have a similar problem on our yishuv. People let their dogs run around after 10 pm and need to have them leashed up again by 6 am. Not that anyone does, but it also means that they leave their stuff here and there. Which means I can't walk to shul in my tefillin. Not that I would...but I would like the option. And when you call them to tell them their mutt made a mess, you get yelled at for bothering them. Or when the damn things bark in the middle of the night. Or even worse...scare the kids. And then you get the "but he wouldn't hurt a fly" argument. Sure, but my 8 year old doesn't know that and won't walk to the neighbors to borrow a couple eggs because your damn dog is sitting in the middle of the path.
One family here got so fed up with the neighbor's dog coming on to his land, chewing up the flowers and leaving it's leavings, he called up and told them, "next time, I'm going to shoot the thing". And he did. And the Rav said, while not something to be advocated, the shooter was in the right.
Posted by: Litvshe | Nov 14, 2005 1:38:47 PM
When we were in Israel, we noticed this and also the litter problem. May be time for a public awareness campaign. (The "Don't Mess with Texas" campaign has been very successful. See http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/campaigns.php )
Posted by: mirty | Nov 14, 2005 2:57:38 PM
Oh, that is just gross. Such a shame that people can't take responsibility for owning a pet.
Posted by: Essie | Nov 14, 2005 3:16:55 PM
Yuck!
This significantly dilutes your usually persuasive pleas for alyiah! :)
I like Mirty's idea for an ad campaign like "Don't Mess With Texas". For a slogan, I suggest "A Land Flowing with Milk and Crap".
Posted by: Doctor Bean | Nov 14, 2005 4:23:22 PM
All you need to do is figure out how to convert the crap into an energy substitute for oil and the problem will be solved.
Posted by: Jack | Nov 14, 2005 4:31:42 PM
Wish I could have seen that interaction you had with the woman on the ballfield! Classic! Along with littering, this was one of my biggest pet peeves while living in Israel. Just a total lack of derech eretz - literally. Not much that can be done if the laws are not enforced...unless maybe a citizen's group is formed?
Posted by: mcaryeh | Nov 14, 2005 5:22:52 PM
There are few things that make me madder. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, the only thing that makes people see reason, is making it a fineable offense.
There was a campaign a few years ago, I believe it might have been in London, where they posted official signs detailing what a "disgusting, foul habit" it was to not pick up after your dog. And how such a person must have had a mannerless upbringing and be of questionable descent and insufficient moral fibre.
Good work, calling her out. I was hoping it would be the sweater. (And that you'd add her shoes, since that's what everyone else would have destroyed.)
Posted by: Tanya | Nov 14, 2005 5:34:20 PM
we have a similar problem too in our community a little more north of you. many israelis simply let the dogs loose at night, as you said, rather than take the dog themselves for their nightly walk... lazy bums and all that. well, one friday night on the way home from a shabbat meal with friends, we were walking down a street where a certain large dog habitually terrorizes pedestrians on that street. our then 5-year-old daughter saw the dog and started screaming, refusing to walk near the dog, who then proceeded to cross the street and follow us, further terrorizing our child. we know who the dog belongs to and my husband, fed up, grabbed the dog by it's collar and literally schlepped the animal home. when he got to the owners house, he pointed to our sobbing sniffling daughter and said of the dog, "next time, i take him to the police." it was a very long time before we saw this dog loose on that street again.
Posted by: nikki | Nov 14, 2005 7:06:56 PM
Very nice response to her lack of care for the public area! I don't know that I would have gone that far, but perhaps with some people it is necessary. I was shocked that her reason for not picking up after her dog was that it was a public area - as if that meant that it was open to defilement by all and was the responsibility of none to clean up. What an amazingly twisted view of what public means.
Posted by: Israel | Nov 14, 2005 7:08:24 PM
As a former dog-lover converting to dog-hater, all I can say is, KOL HAKAVOD!
Posted by: Evan | Nov 14, 2005 7:27:41 PM
I can almost understand the woman letting her dog do that in the first place. but then to be so indignant about it once confronted is astounding.
Posted by: lisa | Nov 14, 2005 7:31:28 PM
I met my wife in a dog park in LA. Most of the folks who frequented the park knew each other and everybody picked up after their dog. It was mandatory. Anyone who would not would be jeered and threatened by the dozen or so regular attendees at the park at any one time. We had one jerk who refused (he was from Serbia and his dog was attack trained) We had him busted for assault as he threatened to unleash his dog on us for yelling at him.
I went to a Houston dog park and there was crap everywhere. You could hardly walk through it. I noticed that even the dogs were having trouble navigating the minefield.
Humans are natural a$$holes. They can acheive humane and decent behaviour if enough pressure is applied to them by society. It's a miracle that any society ever developed a respectful and gentle nature ... let alone altruistic. I don't expect it to last much longer.
I knew Israel was in deep trouble when I saw the trash everywhere. What a shock. The Beautiful Land taken over by people who readilly foul their own nest.
The 'good' people of israel better do something fast.
Posted by: Scott | Nov 14, 2005 7:36:36 PM
People here, when caught, deliver similar reasoning: "It's public space and I am paying dog tax, so my dog can poop wherever we want."
And that's just the wrong logic, because...a)would they, in turn, be happy about witnessing a dog pooping right in their front door / next to their parked car? Poop-cleaning is not included in taxes, and I strongly suppose the same holds true for Israel.
b) It's not just a legal/tax/federal issue, but strongly one of moral and ethic. If dogs can poop everywhere...you complete the sentence. Where would it lead?
Since humane reasoning and logic did not always help in this case here, and since dog owners can be the least reasonable people on earth when it comes to poop, heavy fines were put on dog-pooping in public space. Plus, of course, the awkwardness of being caught and having to carry the heap away.
Maybe, if you have an activity group in your community, you could organize a sign-painting event. Or is it forbidden to put up handmade "no poop!" signs around playgrounds, lawns and wherever else appropriate?
About the stray dogs themselves - I learned that especially Moshavim and smaller spots close to Arab villages liked to have them around, as Arabs are said to detest dogs [dogs, in the Arab world, are dirty, hence so many curses involving dogs].
Posted by: mademoiselle a. | Nov 14, 2005 7:38:19 PM
There are even gross signs here in Jerusalem parks with a picture of a dog pooping that read in Hebrew, "Be a human and clean after him." See:http://johnhleonard.blogspot.com/2004/10/pick-up-your-poop-this-sign-is.html . I knew that my Hebrew was well on it's way when I could read the sign by myself. I think that puppy poop is just the tip of iceberg. In new housing developments here you see workers dumping tons of construction debris in the vacant lots right beside the house they're building. Nice.
All of that poop goes somewhere. Nobody wants to swim in poop soup at the Kineret or Dead Sea.
Posted by: John | Nov 14, 2005 8:15:06 PM
okay, here goes my poop aka israelis are messy bums story. I go to a certain ulpan in tel aviv. everytime we come out for a break, I have to navigate through the millions of inconsiderate smokers (don't get me started on them) to get some fresh air to eat my snack in. We decided to go up onto the piece of lawn outside the ulpan, to get away from the smokers. That was great until we realised every time we walked on it, we got covered in flies. Why? Because it's a spare piece of grass that EVERY dog walker lets his dog loose onto in order for them to evacuate their bowels. So its smoky, smelly air. Just about ruins the appetite doesn't it?! Not to mention just maybe being a public hazard.
Israeli nuisances:
traffic + drivers
smokers
dog poop
stray cats
cellphone manners - or lack thereof.
Aiee I think I just got my blood pressure up! Off to calm down with a few deep breathes... thanks for the opportunity to vent.
Posted by: Katherine | Nov 14, 2005 8:58:09 PM
Litvshe... While I admire and understand the issue with walking to shul wearing tfillin, I doubt that would be a very compelling reason to the offenders. If they don't care that you might actually step in the stuff they aren't likely to be swayed by subtle issues such as you encountered.
Mirty... As with the unenforced smoking bans in malls, I don't understand why they don't just impose fines and allow the municipalities to keep the money to help finance the enforcement effort. Oh well.
Essie... I know my approach is unorthodox but I'll bet wearing a big smear of sh*t around would make people a bit more responsible. I can wish, can't I? :-)
Doctor Bean... The worst disservice I can do to someone contemplating aliyah is to gild the lily. Israel is a wonderful place to live and raise children... but it is a real place with problems and frustrations (like any other place). Those who want to make it here need to understand what Israel is... and what it is not.
Jack... They have. That's what powers the microphones in the Knesset.
Mcaryeh... You aren't suggesting a poop militia are you?
Tanya... I'm ashamed to admit it, but after she got all belligerent with me a small part of me wanted very badly for her to 'make my day'. What can I say... I'm a small, small person.
Nikki... Kol Hakavod to your husband. Unfortunately, from your last line I understand that the solution was only temporary. Oh well.
Israel... The sense of entitlement that many people have here blinds them to their shared responsibility to care for communal areas. It becomes doubly infuriating when you try to reason with people and they try to make you feel as though you are the one who is in the wrong for bringing it up. sheesh!
Even... I am still a dog lover (our black lab Jordan is very much a part of the family), but until our dog grows opposable thumbs, I'm responsible for the mess she makes.
Lisa... Israelis invented the idea that the best defense is a strong offense.
Scott... It is possible to change some things. For instance in the early days of the state people used to take hikes and picked wild flowers wherever they went. This practice denuded the landscape of flowers and became a cause for action. They started a nationwide campaign of teaching school kids that they shouldn't pick wild flowers. The kids taught their parents, and to a certain extent it worked. I don't know about this, though.
mademoiselle a. ... Signs? That's a good one! The only thing Israelis ignore more readily than rules are the signs on which the rules are posted. I'm actually a bit surprised that you have this problem in Germany. The last time I was in your city the streets were pristine!
John... I've seen the signs and even briefly entertained the idea of trying to get the local government to get some for Efrat... but as I said to mlle a., Israelis have elevated ignoring signs to an art form.
Katherine... My pleasure... glad you were able to let it out. :-) I actually have a smoking post that I wrote over a year ago. Every so often I open it up and tone it down a little bit more... but it is still way too over the top to publish. Rude smokers are the one thing in the world that makes me lose all reason. Maybe by next year it will be tame enough to publish.
Posted by: David | Nov 14, 2005 9:38:27 PM
The only thing that works is shame. I suggest all public minded Israelis start picking up litter AND dog poop where ever they go and do exactly as you did to the nasty woman in the park. Make it a revolutionalry campaign. It will work. Leaving trash or crap in a public place is a health hazard and it makes Israel ugly and dirty. It really is a terrible shame.
Posted by: Scott | Nov 15, 2005 8:25:32 AM
Actually, the only thing that works is fines.
Tel Aviv still has its fair share of landmines, but the situation has improved exponentially from what it was when I moved here back in '93.
The TA municipality in the last couple of years figured out it could make a couple of shekels off this story and has started ticketing dog owners who let their pets poop in public spaces.
As a result, the number of dog walkers you see with plastic bags tied to the dog's leash has increased dramatically while the amount of poop you find on the sidewalks has decreased.
Posted by: Shai | Nov 15, 2005 9:52:57 AM
Last Shabbat one of our kids came into the house livid because our neighbor's dog ...unleashed, left to roam ... had just finished pooping on the path to our house.
This happens often, but this time he'd actually watched the d*mn thing do it so we knew for sure it was their dog. When I stopped in and asked them to come and reclaim their property, they began a debate about whether one can clean up sh*t on Shabbat.
I hold it as one of my finer moments that I refrained from asking whether I could choke their dog to death on Shabbat.
And no, they didn't clean it up. We did. On Shabbat. Because it seemed preferable to do that, than to have to clean it up from our house when the kids tracked it in.
I wish I could blame this on Israelis, but these neighbors made aliyah from the USA eighteen months ago, same as us. Israel doesn't have a monopoly on rude and insensitive people, they're everywhere.
However, to give credit where it's due: When it comes to thoughtless dog-owners, rude smokers, and abysmal drivers, Israel does field a world-beating team.
Posted by: Andy Levy-Stevenson | Nov 15, 2005 10:52:48 AM
I once read that there is an old law in Ireland that states that if a dog poops on one's neighbor's property, the dog owner must come and clean up the "ordure" and also compensate the neighbor with a plate of fresh butter that weighs the same as the droppings.
Maybe we could do that here with hummus?
Here's a rude smoker story: once I was in a small eatery when an American teenager dressed like a yeshiva student came in with a lit cigarette. When I asked him to take it out, he said dismissively: "This is Israel," meaning that here he could smoke wherever he wanted to. I took the proprietor aside and asked him to deal with the problem. To his credit, he did. When I got outside, the young man was still there, and I asked him in wide-eyed innocence: "Do you think that Israel is eretz ha-kodesh (the holy land)?" When he said, "Yes!", I asked him: "Then how can you use being in Israel as an excuse to hurt people with your cigarette?"
I can't stand going to the Central Bus Station or to malls here because the law against smoking in public places is hardly enforced. Fortunately awareness is much higher than it was when I first arrived here, but there's still quite a way to go.
Posted by: Rahel | Nov 15, 2005 12:12:30 PM
Ever thought of having a dog crap awareness day?
Just a thought...
Posted by: Jewish Blogmeister | Nov 15, 2005 12:56:25 PM
The last time I was in your city the streets were pristine!
You've never been to the ars parts of town. And also,I often wonder about the heaps around the military areas, too. Are these US military dog heaps or local dog heaps? Of course they're keeping the larger tourist areas clean. But generally, things were worse before they introduced fines and broadcasted "gotcha!"-reports on tv shows.
In analogy to Rahel's Ireland anecdote, I wonder how they would take this over here. A heap of Sauerkraut for each heap of....hilarious. I guess I'd prefer homebaked Black Forest cream torte.
Posted by: mademoiselle a. | Nov 15, 2005 1:46:11 PM
Scott... I agree, shame is a big motivator, but hitting someone in the pocketbook gets people's attention pretty quickly as well. My plan is to try to convince our municipality that the fines imposed on poop-scofflaws (poo-laws) would more than cover the administrative cost of enforcement. Luckily the mayor lives down the street (and is a member of our Saturday night parking lot minyan) so I will be able to lobby him on the idea sooner rather than later. :-)
Shai... Do you know if there were any print materials or signage that went along with the TA campaign? If so, I'd love to find out about them so we can adapt it to our local effort. no need to reinvent the wheel if we don't have to.
Andy Levy-Stevenson... You're a better man than I am. If it had been me I would have rubbed it all over their doorknob if they refused to come pick it up. See, there I go again... petty, petty, petty...
Rahel... I like the idea that there was a penalty, but I don't think I would be able to enjoy the butter knowing that it was paid for in sh*t.
Jewish Blogmiester... they already have one... its called the general elections.
mademoiselle a. ... True, I was mostly in the area around the castle... but even over near the army base (where we played a concert) it was pretty clean compared to most US cities. Also, as I mentioned to Rahel... getting foodstuffs for sh*t is disquieting to say the least. Getting something with chocolate on it would just be unbearable.
Posted by: David | Nov 15, 2005 3:36:56 PM
