[Noisebridge-discuss] Dogs

[Mitchel McAllister]

I've spent a couple hours considering how to respond to this. While my first instinct is to reply with a very sarcastic response, I'm going to suppress that urge.

I find the question "Are we waiting for the first mauling before formally acting on this?" to be offensive. Presupposing that any "potentially vicious" dog will maul someone goes against evidence and experience. It is also bigoted and dishonest. The OP is making an emotional appeal as if it were a rational one.

The dogs I have seen at Noisebridge over the past month have been very well-behaved. They have not made a mess. They have not been disruptive (at least not as disruptive as some people who have come into the space). They have been sociable and friendly. A couple have even taken it upon themselves to hunt for mice while here, addressing a concern a number of people have brought up.

Proposing to ban dogs because some dogs, somewhere else, at some other time, in different circumstances, have "mauled" people has no validity in a rational discussion. If I were to point out that human beings "mauled" more people in the past year than dogs have, no one would be able to rationally refute that statement. Yet no one is proposing to ban human beings from the space.

The one honest point in the original post is this: "They scare me." That's fine, and I applaud your honesty in that one sentence. However, nobody at Noisebridge is responsible for catering to your fears, especially one that is not based on reality or experience. I have a fear of heights, yet I have not demanded that Nosiebridge move to the first floor. Some people who live with the consequences of PTSD will have problems with loud noises, yet we still have the woodshop. I have anxiety attacks in elevators, yet haven't taken it upon myself to dismantle the one in the space. The only person responsible for your fears and phobia is you.

Noisebridge does not ban African-Americans based on the irrational fears of a minority who may have problems being around African-Americans. Noisebridge does not ban gays and lesbians because there are people in the space who dislike gays and lesbians.

- Reverend Mik



--- On Sat, 9/15/12, N <jpk at pobox.com> wrote:

From: N <jpk at pobox.com>
Subject: [Noisebridge-discuss] Dogs
To: noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
Date: Saturday, September 15, 2012, 8:51 AM

I wish that people would not bring dogs into Noisebridge especially the large, potentially vicious ones off leash.

They scare me.

Off leash they are out of control of their masters and dangerous.

Are we waiting for the first mauling before formally acting on this?

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