When I first pitched a story about dogs and their presence in New York City public life, the number of outraged anecdotes and subsequent Slack messages from co-workers suggested this would be a heated topic. Fortunately, writer (and dog owner) Rachel Sugar was willing to delve into the latest discourse. Her reporting turned up many memorable quips about the tensions between canine owners and everyone else, like this one from City Councilmember Chi Ossé: “I am noticing more dogs in public. And I don’t think I want to comment about how I feel about that because I hope to have a long political career.”
But my favorite quote comes from a founder of the Dog Owners Guild of Brooklyn Heights, who spoke to a New York Times reporter in 1972 about a potential new law that would require dog owners to pick up after their pets: “Look, if you know anyone who has tried it, would you ask them how they manage?” It's a reminder that the dog wars have been raging in this city for a long, long time.
—Tomi Obaro, culture editor, New York
