An Open Letter to the County of Prince George's

Dear Prince George's County elected officials and other leaders,

In 2018, I decided to buy a home in the DC metro area. I'd been in DC for 10 years, and I was sick of moving between rentals. At the time, I was working in Ballston, and I decided to consider any location within a 45-minute commute from my employer, which meant Maryland was in the game. 

I had a down payment ready to go. I had exceptional credit — I still do — and I was pre-approved for far more than I planned to spend. I also had just lost Phoebe, an Australian shepherd mix shelter dog and the canine love of my life, and knew I'd foster dogs until my heart healed enough to adopt another dog, if such healing was even possible. 

Her death brought additional priorities into focus. 

One of the rescues I worked with most, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, focuses on, as their name suggests, big fluffy dogs (but also all dogs and the occasional cat). I needed a place that would allow me to have a Great Pyrenees, Bernese Mountain dog, Anatolian, St. Bernard, or other similarly bear-sized dog. This excluded many condo communities. Oof, there went many of my lowest cost purchase options close to work!

I also worked with other local rescues, like Petey and Furends, who pull from rural Southern shelters. This meant vocal hound dogs, which meant solid construction was necessary, so newer builds might be too flimsy. More importantly to this conversation, it also meant an abundance of block-headed dogs generally labeled as pitbull mixes, like my beautiful cow-spotted foster dog Lucy (née Spot) who went to a home with a little girl who dresses Lucy up in tutus.

And thus PG County lost my interest, my property tax revenue, my commitment to supporting local businesses, and my dedication to volunteering in my community.

Instead, I moved into what I believe to be the most pet-friendly condominium community in Alexandria, if not the entire DMV. No size restriction, no breed restriction. Our only problems seem to be humans, not block-headed dogs, though we have many in residence.

I love my community, but I am once again looking to move. I have a dog with diabetes insipidus who pees a lot, and he deserves a doggy door. Yes, I finally adopted a dog two-and-a-half years after Phoebe died. He was just a mutt puppy who looked like a bat, and I couldn't resist him. Aristaios is primarily Australian cattle dog and Australian shepherd. But do you know what else he is? That's right. He's part pibble, though you'd never know by looking at him. (The pibble DNA gives him all his sweetness and none of his stunning good looks.) Because of this, PG County is once again forfeiting my $600,000 home buying budget, my tax dollars, my support of community businesses, and my volunteerism at community organizations.

Because my polite gentleman who insists on giving me a kiss before he'll eat his meals has pitbull DNA. Because my butt scratch aficionado who thinks strangers are only friends who haven't met him yet has pitbull DNA. Because my barnacle of a rescue dog whose best friend is an abuelita has pitbull DNA. 

But also because I want to foster again, and that will always include pitties! And Rottweilers and Dobermans and German shepherds — all dog breeds that have been needlessly and baselessly demonized by pop culture and the media in the past, just like what has been happening to pitties the last decade or so. They're just the latest canine boogie man — the modern day Cujo, no rabies or evidence required.

As an aside, I will admit that I have been bitten by a dog, and I understand the desire to mitigate the danger. I was nine. I still have the ghastly scar on my face to prove it.

The dog was a pure bred mini Dachshund. 

Even at nine, I knew it was my fault. I still know it. Why? All dog bites are the fault of humans. Yes, every single one has a human cause, usually because the humans misunderstood or completely ignored dog body language that clearly stated "leave me alone." (People seem to understand consent with cats and ignore it with dogs to their own detriment.) Other times, a human allowed a dog to be a danger to others (e.g., allowing a high prey drive dog off-leash in public, and it attacks or kills a smaller animal or child).

The better strategy to mitigate dog bites and attacks is to educate humans, enact stringent and proactive animal welfare laws, and then actually enforce those laws to the fullest extent possible in every instance. Licensing, rabies vaccinations, leash length, and more can be encoded into law to protect humans and animals alike.

Put R+ obedience classes on your community center schedules and truly walk the talk!

My point is this: When you are a champion for all animals, the world is safer for humans, too. So please, for the sake of the dogs and the people, make the better choices.

Until then, I and upstanding people like me will continue to avoid purchasing homes and living in PG County. 

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Allison Goldberg and Aristaios