I was waiting all summer for GM Jon Roesser to get around to the dog problem. Seems some folks don’t think they should have to deal with dogs tied up outside the Mt. Airy stores. Please see his column on Page 7, which isn’t just about dogs, but also about the myriad other ways having Weavers Way for a neighbor might be vexing — for which we are truly sorry. 

I’m all about the dogs:

Yo, dog people: I love dogs. I love smelly dogs, drooling dogs, begging dogs, barking dogs. If I see a sleeping dog, I wake it up. In case you don’t know me, I’m the woman who walks around saying, “Can I pet your dog?” Mt. Airy is dog heaven, and every kid in Mt. Airy better know how to deal with dogs, even if they’re tied up outside the Co-op.

Which brings me to my point: Please don’t leave your dog tied up outside the Co-op. Your dog hates it. He’s pining for  you to come back, and meanwhile, weird people are trying to pet him. 

I never leave my dog outside while I go in anywhere. What if someone tries to steal her? Poison her? Gives her cheese that makes her fart for days? 

Also, it’s illegal. Dogs in Philadelphia are supposed to be on a 6-foot leash, with a human attached to the other end. (It’s right there in §10-104, “Animals Running at Large and Vicious Animals,” and don’t get me started on the cat exception.) Weavers Way, as Jon notes, isn’t getting into code enforcement, but that doesn’t mean someone else might not call you on it. (And then maybe the authorities will also notice that your dog doesn’t have a license, hmm? That’s 300 bucks.)

Yo, non-dog people: I get it. I hate hate hate it when people let their dogs run off-leash in the woods. And the last thing the guy said before his dog bit me was, “He doesn’t bite.” 

So really, the problem isn’t dogs. The problem is, well, people. 

So, yo, dog people: Please don’t leave your dog tied up outside the Co-op. Do it for your dog.