New Animal Control.Org

The Root Cause of the Barking Epidemic, and the Source of All of Our Dog-Related Problems

Introduction

The chronic barking problem cannot be blamed on dogs, because dogs can be easily dissuaded from barking. Nor can we blame the barking epidemic exclusively on irresponsible dog owners, because their antics can also be managed, given effective laws and the right contingencies. Rather, the barking scourge was created by shortcomings that were built into the animal control system.

The articles linked to from this page all focus on the animal control system: What it is, how it is structured, and how it fostered the problems it was created to prevent.

The cause of the chronic barking epidemic
The great majority of the information linked to from this page was originally part of one long, continuous article. That information has since been broken down into short segments that are more suitable for a website format, and it is those segments that comprise most of the links found below. However, if you would like, you can read the information linked to on this page in its original format, as one continuous article, by clicking on the link immediately above.

A dysfunctional system
This section introduces you to the components of the animal control system, and offers evidence that they are, every one, failing to perform.

An irresponsible system fostering irresponsible behavior
This article points out that all of our dog-related problems were created by the refusal of those who oversee the system to acknowledge their own responsibilities, and by their failure to step up to the plate on the issue of responsible dog ownership.

A system that imperils the victim
This section reveals how the "anti-barking" laws often force desperate bark-abused victims to choose between accepting the ongoing injury and attempting to prosecute the perpetrator at the cost of endangering themselves and their families.

A crisis not taken seriously
This page explains that the system has been defeated by the barking epidemic because the authorities fail to comprehend the scope of the scourge. Further compounding the problem is their inability to perceive the severity of the harm done, and their failure to do something more than make a pretense of addressing the problem.

The misnomer of the barking dog dispute
This page calls attention to how the terminology used by those in authority reflects their failure to recognize the true nature of what is happening. Law enforcement - take note!

The failure to ask if the system is working, and to recognize that it has failed
This section points out that government shows little interest in the barking epidemic. They make no attempt to assess the scope or the severity of the scourge, and take no measure of the effectiveness of the "anti-barking" laws.

A system of unworkable laws
This section points out that the tide of barking dog cases flowing into our civil courts is the ultimate proof that the criminal statute barking dog laws have failed to serve their purpose.

A reactive, back-loaded system
This page argues that our dog-related problems are guaranteed by the structure of the system, which is focused on reacting to problems, rather than on proactive programs of prevention.

The failure to screen unfit dog owners
This section discusses the failure of the animal control system to work preemptively by screening-out those who are unfit for the formidable task of raising and socializing a dog.

Providing disturbed people with a way to legally inflict injury
This section points out that, in the process of saddling the public with unworkable anti-barking laws, the authorities have created a legal loophole that allows disturbed people to use their barking dogs to inflict injury on those around them without fear of intervention by law enforcement.

A system of impossible standards
This section offers an example of one of the favorite tricks of the system, which is to thwart would-be bark-abuse complainants by mandating that they must comply with procedural requirements that are impossible for them to navigate.

A system designed to fail
This section explains that, not only do the "anti-barking" laws not work, there is little evidence to suggest that they were ever meant to.

The barking epidemic's three disreputable siblings
The same market forces that brought about the barking epidemic also created all of our other major dog-related problems: the biting epidemic, the erosion of the privileges extended to dog owners, and the slaughter of millions of dogs every year.

Why the animal control system remains as it Is
This page discusses the role of special interest groups in blocking meaningful animal control reform.

This page is the index of the Cause section of barkingdogs.net