Going to the dogs

Coeur d'Alene boasts a number of sparkling garlands on its mantel, but is DogTown USA really one of them?

This vibrant community on a glorious lake is to dogs what New Zealand is to sheep. Throughout Coeur d'Alene, you're bound to encounter a plethora of pooches.

Tubbs Hill, a hiking paradise for two- and four-leggeds alike.

Downtown, where telltale signs of canine carousing punctuate sidewalks.

Name the event, and you'll draw thousands of humans who just can't seem to go anywhere without Fifi and Ferdinand.

Don't get us wrong - we love dogs. But we wonder, was the anonymous commenter on cdapress.com possibly barking up the right tree when he wrote the following about Coeur d'Alene being named Pooch Paradise?

Most dog friendly town in the US. No disagreement from me on that. Dogs in stores, dogs in cars, eternally barking dogs, nasty bugeyed ankle biters being carried around by their matronly owners and dogs being dragged around crowded events designed for the enjoyment of humans by their narcissistic owners. As to what pleasure the dumb animal gets from navigating through a forest of human legs, paws on hot asphalt and an air temperature at least 10 degrees higher at their level than that of their owner, I'll leave to others to contemplate on their own.

That assessment rings true of some of the folks tugging wee barkers around Art on the Green, Street Fair and Taste of the Coeur d'Alenes last weekend. We didn't actually step on any, but at times we might have been tempted to.

Instead, let's agree that it's fine to trot Fido around downtown or a park as long as he's on a leash and that you, his owner, leave behind no evidence of Fido's eating habits. Let's also agree that public events should be limited to two-legged animals.