Michael When you're on foot, you no longer have to worry about being ambushed by some wild street gang members -- San Francisco has become very tame lately. Instead, there's a new nuisance: Recently, while I was training for the marathon and running through the "Glen Park" neighborhood, I encountered a woman pushing a stroller, and a dog. The dog was a completely unremarkable-looking like a Collie (like Lassie), and I unsuspectingly ran past the trio. Suddenly, the unleashed mutt snapped at my calf and bit into it!

I barked a few words at the woman that were shocking even by American standards (see the newsletter before last on freedom of speech) and ran on, only to realize shortly after that I was actually bleeding! Fortunately, the tetanus shot I had received six years ago in Munich was still effective. Funnily enough, a somewhat more tragic incident involving a fighting dog had occurred a few weeks earlier in San Francisco: In a high-rise building, a leashed fighting dog had snapped at a neighbor's neck and killed her! The two owners were then charged with attempted murder or manslaughter because they had allegedly trained the animal that way. I realized I could have easily gotten millions out of the stupid cow with the unleashed collie, but I am generous and do not sue mentally challenged people.

Generally speaking, dog owners are a bit eccentric. If a dog poops on the sidewalk, the owner must clean it up immediately, or else they face fines. People use a transparent crinkly bag, which they bring with them, to cover their hand, then they reach into the -- I speculate -- still body-warm clay-like droppings, pull the bag off like a glove, and wrap it around the brown giant. Well, to each their own. This does have the advantage that in America, you rarely step in dog poop -- in four and a half years, I've only had a stinky lump on my shoe once. But that's not all there is to say about dogs. Angelika, take it away!

Angelika Not only since Michael was bitten by a dog have I been observing the dog epidemic in San Francisco with suspicion. Until now, I have held back with my comments, thinking that I might be suffering from selective perception. I am simply afraid of dogs. Dog owners also make me uneasy, as they always claim their Fido is the most peaceful. Even if Hasso is baring his teeth and pulling on the leash. I am one of those people who often cross the street just to move in a "dog-free" zone. This is becoming increasingly difficult in San Francisco.

Walking up 24th Street in our neighborhood "Noe Valley" (or is it perhaps already "Dog Valley"?) on the weekend is no easy task for a dog-phobic person like me. Every three meters (I'm not exaggerating), you stumble over a dog surrounded by a crowd of people: "Oh, isn't he beautiful!" "What's his name?" "Can I pet him?" Many shop owners also have their dogs with them during the day. A nightmare for people like me who love to shop but prefer to avoid every dog. That's why I don't enter the new boutique on 24th Street called "A Girl and Her Dog." They do sell very nice clothes, but, you guessed it, I would also have to deal with the shop owner's dog. A few doors down at "Tully's," a small street cafe, you'll find a water-filled dog bowl and a friendly note that they have small treats for four-legged friends inside the cafe.

San Francisco loves its dogs. I am no longer alone in this observation. Just in May, I read an article in the "San Francisco Chronicle" that extensively reported on this "crazy love" and raised the question of when the humanization of dogs began. The concept of the dog as man's best friend is not exactly new, but the services for dogs and stressed dog owners that are mushrooming in and around San Francisco are.

I'm not talking about the traditional dog boarding facilities that take care of the beloved four-legged friend when the owners are on vacation. I've long gotten used to the many professional dog walkers, who can be recognized by the cluster of dogs that always surrounds them (which always reminds me of the Pied Piper of Hamelin). The latest establishment is day care centers for dogs, called "Doggie Day Care." Since Americans--and employees of Silicon Valley in particular--are known to work a lot, man's best friend often stays home alone for many hours. This triggers the dog owner's guilty conscience. The solution: you take your dog to dog kindergarten. Don't think I'm crazy. The "Doggie Day Cares" actually have a lot in common with a kindergarten. There are toys, sofas for resting, and often a playground-like outdoor area.

They go out for walks, groom, pet, and train the dogs, and if necessary, even celebrate the dog's birthday. Kennel-like structures are, of course, absolutely taboo, as the dogs are supposed to interact with each other. Some "Doggie Day Cares" even install web cameras so that the working dog owner can check via the internet from the office how their four-legged friend is doing. However, "Doggie Day Cares" are not cheap. "Every Dog Has Its Day Care Inc." charges $395 monthly if the dog is registered for three months, $345 monthly if it's six months (www.everydog.com). At "K9to5" (www.k9to5.com) in San Francisco, it costs $32 per day for an adult dog, $300 for 10 visits, or $455 per month. The whole thing has become so popular that there are waiting lists. Of course, not every dog is accepted. Unsocial or even aggressive dogs are excluded. Therefore, dog owners and their dogs go through an admission process. An interview is scheduled. I know this firsthand because my photography teacher's dog was rejected because it didn't fit into the dog group.

"Doggie Day Cares" are not only extremely popular in San Francisco and its surroundings, but they can also be found elsewhere in the USA. However, San Francisco claims to have started the movement. The private organization "San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals" (SPCA), which is funded solely by donations, launched the first "Doggie Day Care" as a pilot project in 1994. This animal-loving society (SPCA) is heaven on earth for dogs and cats. It has been advocating for animal rights in San Francisco since 1868. Today, the SPCA ensures that abandoned, stray, or neglected animals are not killed but are nursed back to health and rehabilitated so they can live in families rather than shelters. Even fighting dogs are given a chance. However, since 1997, it has been the policy that Pit Bulls are euthanized if their past is unknown. Incidentally, in 1998, the SPCA opened an animal shelter that, according to their own description, resembles the Ritz (Hotel)>https://www.sfspca.org/maddies.html>resembles the Ritz (Hotel)). Dogs and cats have their own rooms with hardwood floors, sofas, aquariums, toys, and televisions. Rumor has it that the shelter offered homeless people the opportunity to stay with the animals some time ago, which the homeless thankfully refused indignantly. Sometimes one wonders at the things that exist.

Finally, two very current stories about dogs. On Tuesday, twelve jurors in San Jose found Andrew Douglas Burnett guilty of animal cruelty (in America, the names of defendants are boldly published in the newspaper), which could mean up to three years in prison for him. After a rear-end collision, in his anger, he dragged the dog of the woman who caused the accident out of her car and threw it into oncoming traffic, which the dog did not survive. Not that I want all the animal rights activists to get upset with me now. Of course, I find such behavior wrong, and it's right that he was held accountable for it. I just wanted to report on the commotion this case caused. Animal rights activists quickly raised $120,000 to ensure the suspect would be appropriately sentenced (court proceedings in America are expensive), which drew criticism because the amount was far higher than the rewards offered for several open cases of missing children combined. Some said that the priorities here are somewhat misplaced. Many were also outraged that the dog owner spoke on camera about her child/baby being brutally murdered. Just to avoid any misunderstandings: she meant her dog.

Also on Tuesday, on the other side of the bay, in Richmond, three freely roaming fighting dogs attacked a ten-year-old boy who was out riding his new bicycle. The dogs injured the boy so severely that he remains in critical condition. He not only lost both of his ears but also suffered deep lacerations on his face, which will take years to fully heal. What particularly shocked me was that in the neighborhood where the dogs attacked the boy, it is quite normal for fighting dogs to be roaming around. This incident, along with a few others, sparked a debate about fighting dogs, similar to the one you had in Germany some time ago. On both sides of the debate, the same arguments are presented: that the real problem is the owners or the breeders who breed the most aggressive dog breeds. But I wonder what on earth goes through the minds of dog lovers for whom there is nothing better than owning a fighting dog? Why not a peaceful Saint Bernard? That's not normal!

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Car traffic in Silicon Valley
  	The Silicon Valley Railway
  	The Streets of San Francisco
  	Radar Traps
  	Parking in the City
  	Public Transportation
  	Muni Street Cars and BART Subway
  	News from the President

  
  

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Car traffic in Silicon Valley
  	The Silicon Valley Railway
  	The Streets of San Francisco
  	Radar Traps
  	Parking in the City
  	Public Transportation
  	Muni Street Cars and BART Subway
  	News from the President