A Question For the Ages

Dear Dog Lady,

Do dogs bring out the good or the bad in people?

Missy, New York, N.Y.

Mithy, your query is pithy. You ask the kind of cosmic question that might bring great philosophers to their knees. Dog Lady, wobbly but unbowed, will attempt to answer by telling you two stories about how dogs brought out the worst and the best in human nature:

This is the Bad . . .

The East Hampton Independent, a weekly newspaper in eastern Long Island, N.Y, reported in its Nov. 26, issue on the plight of Barbara and Stanley Arkin who lost their apricot poodle, Boomer, when they all were walking in the woods. Boomer, unleashed, ran away. The Arkins believe the dog must have acted on instinct, bounding off to chase a squirrel or other small animal. The Arkins called and searched for Boomer, but the dog had disappeared.

Since this is East Hampton, the cradle of capital, the Arkins turned to the best incentive they could think of to hasten the return of Boomer. They posted notices offering a $10,000 reward for their missing dog. As you can imagine, this offer got everybody’s attention. Even the town councilman turned out to help them.

What’s the old sourball adage about money? The Arkins received a phone call late one night that Boomer had been found -- dead. The body had been discovered near train tracks. A vet later confirmed a moving car or train had killed the dog. When Stanley Arkin went to claim the carcass, the unnamed hostage takers demanded the money before releasing the lifeless Boomer.

“When my husband went to identify our dead dog, the people who found him said they wanted $10,000. Stanley offered them $2500 just for the knowledge of knowing that our dog had been found, but we didn’t expect to pay $10,000 for the dog if he was dead. It’s not something we ever thought of,” Barbara Arkin told the Independent.

Eventually, Stanley Arkin paid $5000 for Boomer’s remains. “He was so shocked and distraught, he just gave them the money,” Mrs. Arkin said to reporter Debbie Tuma. “I guess the thing we learned from this, and would like to tell others, is that if you offer a reward for your lost dog, be sure to specify that it is for a dog that is alive, and maybe a lesser reward if the dog is dead.”

Dog Lady offers a larger lesson: Unscrupulous people will take advantage of any godless or dogless opportunity. Dogs -- dead or alive -- cannot change the face of greed or evil. Dogs do amplify human goodness, but they cannot transform bad humans into good humans.

And This Is Good. . .

On a more hopeful note, we have the touching tale of Annie, the nine-year-old Shepherd-mix and devoted companion to Jim White of Boston. Last winter, a car in city traffic hit Annie. The dog’s leg was amputated at Angell Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately, White, a disabled vet, did not have the resources to pay Annie’s medical bills and Angell turned the case over to a collection agency.

One day, outside the Boston Harbor Hotel, White and his three-legged companion ran into George Regan, noted dog lover and top Boston public relations hound. They got talking. White told Regan about his predicament. And Regan later shared the story with his client, Paul Barclay, owner of The Rack, the boisterous sports bar at Faneuil Hall. Both Regan and Barclay keep multiple dogs.

Barclay sponsors a fundraiser each summer to raise money for the MSPCA and other animal humane organizations. Earlier this fall, he donated a portion of that charity money, $2000, to Angell Memorial to pay for Annie’s amputation and wipe out White’s debt. There was a photo-op as Barclay, Annie, and White all gathered outside The Rack to commemorate the occasion. Besides posing for the camera, the resilient Annie also enjoyed a plate of The Rack’s steak tips.

Missy, thank you for pitching your pith. Dog Lady, ever the optimist, must believe that dogs can bring out the generous, caring side of humans. Those of us who love a dog know how much more love our animal gives back. This human-canine cycle of kindness and generosity touches everyone -- even the un-dogged -- and creates a better world.

Posted by Dog Lady at April 20, 2004 04:00 PM