Berkeley Fire Department rescue dog and pet, Dylan, has passed away. Dylan had been a member of the Berkeley Fire Department since March 1998 when he certified at the basic FEMA level. He certified at the advanced level in November of the same year. Dylan deployed to the WTC in September 2001 with Task Force 4 and was called out by OFD for incidents in the Oakland hills in the winter of 2001. Dylan was a German shepherd dog handled by Berkeley Fire Fighter Darren B. He will be sadly missed.

Editorial March-April 2005:

WHEN one looks at the markets in most countries, it is fair to say that a large percentage of people rent their homes. The percentages differ in each country of course, but one can safely say that more people rent than own, worldwide.

In New Zealand at least it is becoming harder by the day to rent a property if you own a dog or dogs and this has created a vicious circle. Those who own dogs and rent their homes often have to accept houses they "wouldn't want their dog to live in, let alone live in it themselves" simply because they have a dog. Either that or shift to a country area where they will not have a job.

Life is tough for the Kiwi dog owner, even though it is just the few bad owners that give the rest a bad name. A house I recently viewed where an 'outside dog' was allowed, had dog bowls on the dining room carpet, the whole framework of the laundry had been chewed through to the height of the dog and the door had been taken down because it no longer had a framework to hinge onto, there were scratch marks on all the doors, and patches of who-knows-what on the lounge carpet, holes in the garden outside and dog poo on the lawn - lots of it!

Now I have a dog and I am in a rental property. I used to have two dogs until my lovely Australian dog Sammy died. And when I left the property I was renting my landlady made special reference to my having two dogs and the fact that the yard was always tidy and clean, and although the dogs went inside when they wanted to, you would never know there had been any dogs at the house.

The point I am making here is that it is not the dog but the owner at fault. It is not hard to pick up any doggy doo from the lawn and put it into a bag for the rubbish. It is not hard to prevent a dog from forming destructive habits - just make sure it has plenty to do, a walk every day, an enclosed yard to play in, plenty of toys, and if possible at least once weekly obedience, agility, basic training sessions, or even tracking club or search and rescue training if the dog shows aptitude with the basics. Dogs just love it. If an owner can do none of those things for his or her dog, then that owner should not have a dog. Like children, dogs also need to be able to reach their full potential.

Often it is this kind of owner who also has children and who thinks the dog is some kind of live toy for the kids to play with. Unfortunately it is usually just such a neglected dog that becomes over-excited when it is included in one of the children's games and nips someone. And from there its fate is sealed. What really breaks me up is that this type of owner will then go out and get another dog and hope that it "doesn't turn bad like their last one!' Whew, someone has the intelligence of a fruit fly, and it is not the dog! I am convinced that 99 percent of dogs that are killed because of a snarl or a nip or a bite are simply victims of human stupidity or accidental injury. It is a rare dog that actually attacks and such action is usually the result of cruel treatment or being trained to do just that!

But back to the renting problem. Because of the problem owners I can not blame rental property owners for playing it safe. On the other hand as a dog owner I would never allow rental owners or impersonal property management companies to dictate the way I live my life - a suggestion that I get rid of my dog would be met with the more likely suggestion that I get rid of the rental company. So I suggest to dog owners that they get together and buy some land, then build 'dog friendly' units - high and solid fences, power meters outside of the fenced dog areas, easy-clean floor coverings, and many other dog-friendly specifications that can be quantified at the inaugural meeting of "owners"!

Also what about dog-friendly rentals ... there should be such a company in each town. I hope that dog owners who rent properties will really appreciate property owners who allow dogs and not give them any cause to change their minds when the tenant changes. It is the least they can do and will help to slowly turn the animosity around. At least dog-friendly holidays are possible now, in dog-friendly motels ... what a shame that does not often extend to everyday life. - Elezabeth