There’s a thread going on an the Brooklynian message boards about a woman who was yelled at by a mother for allowing her dogs in a water sprinkler in a local park.

The mother’s point: she did not want her kids playing in water that filthy dogs had been in.

The dog owner’s point: her dogs were cleaner than kids that had pooped and peed their diapers.

I don’t know who’s right (or even what’s legal… as I write this it’s still unclear on the thread) but I do know that I hear about and experience this conflict a lot.

I naturally lean towards the pro-dog side. However, there are some people that have absolutely no control over their dogs, do not take care of them and are careless about where they go and what they do.

Clearly, dogs are not more important than people. However, there are some people that have absolutely no control over their kids, do not take care of them and are careless about where they go and what they do.

Does anyone have a rational solution here? I’ve seen plenty of arguments online where some people say “get rid of all dogs” and others say “I will let me dog do whatever he wants” and then they just end up hurling insults at the other side. If anyone has a non-judgmental idea please post it!