Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Dogs and Postmen; Pampered Dogs

From the May 28, 2011 Sunday New York Times metropolitan section, under the headline "Nice Doggie":
Q. A recent circular I got from the post office said that May 15 to 21 was National Dog Bite Prevention Week. How likely are New York City dogs to chomp on letter carriers?

A. Relatively likely, judging by a United States Postal Service list of the cities with the most dog attacks on letter carriers for the year that ended Sept. 30. New York’s five boroughs totaled 69 bites, placing the city at the head of the pack. Next were Houston (62 bites), and San Diego and Columbus, Ohio (tied with 45). Los Angeles had 44.

Not all of New York is threatening to postal employees. Manhattan recorded only four attacks and the Bronx seven. But there must be something about Queens, which the Postal Service breaks into several parts. The Jamaica area recorded 17 bites, ahead of cities like Indianapolis, Washington and Las Vegas. Flushing had 15 bites. Staten Island had 14 and Brooklyn had 12.

Medical expenses from dog attacks cost the Postal Service nearly $1.2 million last year, it said. . . .
Read the rest here.

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And from a story in the Thursday, April 28, 2011 Styles section, under the headline "Civility on the Way Out? Add Dogs to That List"

EVER since her bulldog bit a fox terrier in the elevator last spring, Liz Weston has been forced by her co-op board to use the freight elevator at her Sutton Place South building. She doesn’t think that it’s fair. . . .She sued her co-op board in February. “Dogs are dogs,” she added.
. . .

And when Elizabeth Taylor died last month, obituaries made gleeful mention of her canine cohort, in particular one that treated the floors of friends as fire hydrants.

Bad dogs can bring bad publicity, as Carl Paladino learned when his pit bull attacked another dog on the campaign trail for governor in New York last year.

They can be real estate deal-breakers, too, barking and growling at potential buyers. “If you’re not a dog lover, it can be very off-putting,” said Robert Browne, a senior vice president at Corcoran, who recently showed a $3 million home in Greenwich Village with a nasty Rottweiler running loose.

Dogs in banks. Dogs in yoga classes. Dogs in wedding parties. They have even invaded luxury boutiques. At the Manhattan offices of Marchesa, the delicate gown line designed by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, office dogs are known to get into savage fights. “Sometimes it’s funny, but other times it can get pretty violent,” said Edward Chapman, the company’s president, whose Yorkshire terrier, Lottie, is often the instigator.

Are these dogs getting an unleashed sense of entitlement from their owners? Yes, said David Reinecker, a Beverly Hills dog trainer

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