L.A. Dog Barking Ordinance = Seriously Flawed Logic

Dogs

I felt compelled to write a follow-up post regarding the Los Angeles dog-barking ordinance because I feel I must point out the complete disconnect in logic.  If you used this logic on an SAT test, you would score a 12 out of 1600.

Translating this issue into SAT terms, here would be the question:

(A)  My neighbor’s ties his dog up to a wall and it barks all day and night, therefore there should be a law against dogs barking for more than 10 minutes.

(B)  My neighbor ties his dog up to a wall and it barks all day and night, therefore there should be an animal cruelty law to punish my neighbor for tying his dog to a wall.

In even plainer terms:

(A)      My neighbor drives his car 60mph down our residential street, therefore I think there should be a law against cars that drive over 30mph.

(B)      My neighbor drives his car 60mph down our residential street, therefore my neighbor should be fined for driving his car over the speed limit.

WHAT DOES THE CORRECT ANSWER SEEM LIKE TO YOU?

I did not make up the dog tied to a wall scenario.  On Cesar Milan’s Facebook page, the question was posed “what do you think about this law?”  Several hundred people responded, and most seem to agree with me (but they are Cesar fans so that’s not surprising).  There were, however, more than one post that gave the exact scenario and logic that I posed above.

A couple examples that people posted:

*  A neighbor left their dog tied up all day and night and the dog barked all day and night, THEREFORE they supported the ordinance because people are stupid.  (more than one like this)

*  A barking dog is not a well-balanced dog, therefore they support the ordinance.

Where is the logic here?

Have you read more details about this ordinance to know exactly how Los Angeles defines “excessive” barking?  If not, you should take the time find out  (Read full Ordinance text here).  This law will punish far more good dogs than bad owners.  Again, dogs must suffer from irresponsible people and people who don’t take the time to think about the consequences of their reactions.

I discussed it in my previous post:  L.A. Imposes Stiff Fines for “Excessive” Barking.