LEWISTON — A brown pit bull strains against the leash that Jessica Tanguay struggles to keep in the grasp of her outstretched arm.
Jessica Tanguay, left, and her mother Sue Gallant, both of Buckfield, walk their dogs Bruno, left, and Rosco at Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary in Lewiston on Thursday. Tanguay said she was taking care of her sister's dog while she is serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force.
Stanton Bird Club's Board of Directors is reviewing its Stewardship Committee's recommendation to ban dogs from Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary, and is expected to vote on it. Those wishing to offer input are encouraged to mail their comments to the Stanton Bird Club, P.O. Box 3172, Lewiston, ME 04243.
The sturdy dog digs his paws into the dirt path, powering his way up a wide trail into Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary with what appears to be a grin on his open jowls.
Tanguay, who lives in Buckfield and works in Auburn, says she often brings Bruno to walk the trails of the sprawling conservation land. On this sunny day, she's joined by her mother, Sue Gallant, who is clutching the leash of Roscoe, a Shih Tzu mix.
“They love it,” Tanguay says of the dogs' shared zest for walks in the local bird sanctuary.
Their days at Thorncrag might be numbered, though.
Wildlife sanctuary
If the Stewardship Committee at the Stanton Bird Club has its way, Bruno and Roscoe would have to find a different park in which to stretch their legs and chase the occasional chipmunk.
The club owns and manages the 372-acre urban oasis off Montello Street. The committee voted unanimously in April to bar dogs from the trails. The club's board has taken that recommendation under advisement.
The committee consulted with other land management groups before reaching its decision. It cited problems with dogs intimidating walkers, dog waste left on trails and dogs disturbing the fragile ecosystem of the place, including wildlife and environmentally sensitive areas such as vernal pools and bird nesting areas.
Reports of dogs biting people and fighting with other dogs has sparked concern about safety among the group's membership.
Despite the “on leash only” policy at the sanctuary, many visitors let their dogs run free on the trails, a written statement released by the board Friday says.
“Members of the board recognize that dogs have been permitted in Thorncrag for many years and many people enjoy walking their dogs on Thorncrag trails,” according to the release.
“Personally, I am a neighbor of Thorncrag, own a dog, and have walked her on numerous occasions in Thorncrag,” wrote Tom Robustelli, president of the club.
But he said the club's primary purpose should come first.
“Thorncrag is, first and foremost, a sanctuary for wildlife,” he said
Dog owners to blame
Kristen D'Eramo of Lewiston stood in the parking lot at Thorncrag, her cairn terrier Guster leashed by her side. Guster, who bears a strong resemblance to Toto, was waiting to meet Kodi, a Samoyed, to go for a morning walk.
“It's a great place to bring him,” D'Eramo said. “We live in a place with a small, fenced-in yard. It's nice to bring him out here.”
Kodi's owner, Andrea Dibello, who lives just minutes from the sanctuary, said the problem lies not with the dogs, but with the owners. If owners would take responsibility for keeping control of their dogs and picking up after them, there would be no problem.
If the Thorncrag board were to decide to close the sanctuary to dogs, owners would be given time — “a period of months”— to find alternatives before that edict were to go into effect, Robustelli wrote.
But D'Eramo and Dibello say there's really no alternative comparable to the sanctuary in Lewiston and its environs.
“It would be a bummer,” D'Eramo said. “I think this is the only nature-like area.”
Report a correction
Animals have rights too!
I do not believe that just because certain people cannot pick up after their dogs, that all dogs should be banned from this park. There is not many places in Lewiston where pet owners can go to walk their dogs like Thorncraig. Maybe someone should be appointed to go once or twice a day to remove any feces in the trail so we could avoid banning dogs. There are plenty of delinquents that do community service for a punishment, maybe one of those jobs should be doggy poop duty. Although people should still be notified of and fined if caught not picking up their doggy poop, it would be a good way to please people who have a problem with this issue. Same with you cigarette smokers who throw your cigarettes all over the trail and pollute the fresh air with your smoke, I believe you should have a right to smoke where you want, but there should be a designated spot for you to do so and a bin to throw your cigarettes in. If you are caught smoking out of that area, or caught throwing your butts all over then you too will be fined. This is nature people, if you are scared of a little poop then maybe you shouldn't come here to walk. More and more places are banning dogs from being present and I think It's a shame to punish all pet owners and their animals because of a few peoples stupidity.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Well, I guess I'm a believer
Well, I guess I'm a believer in live and let live. I'm a smoker and I'm allergic to dogs. I happened to go for a trek at Thorncrag yesterday morning. I saw no dog poop left behind on the trails or anywhere. I met quite a few people walking their dogs there, they were all very friendly and well behaved. Some had gone for a dip in the pond, which I suppose might damage the eco-system. I have a feeling it wouldn't damage it horribly, but what do I know. Yes, I lit up in the park - but I made a point of putting them out carefully and taking the remains along with me. I don't want to see butts there any more than anyone else. It's sad that, once again, a few people who don't take care of their and their pet's refuse will ruin it for everyone else.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Listen DOG PEOPLE – I happen
Listen DOG PEOPLE – I happen to not like dogs, and I don’t think I should even have to take a CHANCE of having to deal with their annoying little yaps or craps. Keep them at home. We get it, you like your stupid mutt, but there is NO NEED for you to bring them into the store, NONE. (Well, accept for you to get attention) You want me to bring my 7 foot python into the grocery store with me? I’m sure that would go over well.
Dog lovers are so full of themselves. “My dog is cleaner than most kids”…please, that is the dumbest effing thing I have ever heard.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Newsflash
The woods are full of animals and they tend to poop wherever they want to. If you can't handle it, stay indoors.
That being said, they should ban pitbulls and rotti's. If you want to be faux tough and have a dangerous dog, live with the consequences.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.At last !!!
Something Larry the Mayor can get his hands around.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Trained and go shopping with us
I so agree with TownClown and Louise Tancrede. Dogs need training (and owners too). Our poodle received beginner training and novice training and also went on to get training to be a Therapy Dog. He is trained to walk without a leash and when told to "Leave-it" he does not attempt to go to it whether it be a hamburger, steak or another dog). We are planning on moving to the Lewiston area in the near future and would enjoy taking Dusty for a walk at Thorncraig. But I'm sure that will never happen as I'm sure the "Ignorant pet owners" will make the club close it to pets.
And by the way...KONPHL1C7...We take our Dusty to every store we can. He has a stroller and the sits in, in more well behaved and cleaner than most kids. He wears clothes and shoes and everyone we meet just cannot get over how well behaved he is. And another thing. He doesn't pick up stuff or knock stuff off the shelf and get his grubby little, snot covered germy hands all over the merchandise. Some parents don't think of all the germs their kids have when they have snotty noses - much less watch them. SO DON'T BE SO DOWN ON DOG OWNERS, MOST OF US ARE RESPONSIBLE.
Another word about leashes. Retractable leashes are the worst thing they could have come out with. At training, we were told we had to have a 5 to 6 foot leash. Any more than that you cannot control your dog. I absolutely hate it when a dog comes up to us on a retractable leash...it just goes around and around us till were all tied up. And some owners don't care.
And Dog Parks...ABSOLUTELY!!!!
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.I'll take it a step further,
I'll take it a step further, we need to ban the pit bulls and fine the people who own them. Those dogs are the source of a lot of this, along with their lowlife owners who think they're tough walking around with the baddest dog on the planet. Never mind the fact that their dog is a walking menace that could snap at any time. Heaven help the small child or dog that gets in its way. Yeah, ok, all you scumbag pit bull lovers can get upset with me, but when I read something like this - "A brown pit bull strains against the leash that Jessica Tanguay struggles to keep in the grasp of her outstretched arm", it upsets me because there is NO reason why this lowlife should have a vicious, unpredictable dog around.
Don't even get me started on the dog crap. That's another story. If you see some lowlife's dog leave their dump somewhere, please speak up. A lot of times they really are just ignorant and think their dog's steaming pile isn't bothering anyone. They think it's "biodegradable" when in fact it's a "biohazard"! The rest of the time they're just lazy. A nice firm "Hey - meathead - are you going to pick up your dog crap???!?!" will shame them into doing the right thing.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Tired.... ya tired of ignorants like you
Calling pitbull owners 'scumbags' just goes to prove how completely IGNORANT you are. There are no bad dogs. Just bad owners. Don't believe everything you read. The fact isthat there are Dog Statistics done on every breed that show which dogs are more aggressive than others. Are you ready? Don't believe me look it up. (from ATTS- American Temperament Test Society) Let's see if you take the time to read it.
Anything above 80% is good!!!!
Dalmation 81.8%, Husky 86.6%, German Shepard 83.5%, Rottweillers
82.6%, Mastiff 83.9%, American Pit Bull Terrier 84.3%, American Staffordshire 83.4%, Staffordshire Bull Terrier 85.3%, and Boxer
84.3
Now the beloved little dogs..
Collie 53.3%, Bichon Frise 79.3%, Corgi 75.4%, Chihuahua 70.3%,
Dachshund 70.2%, Setter 75%, Schnauzer 75.5%, Lhasa Apso 69.2%
I think we can all see that the little ones are far more aggressive than the big ones. Wake up!! Do your research before you judge.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Report on Fatal Dog Attacks...
Overwhelmingly this report is used by the media, council members and legislators in an attempt to prove a case for passing breed specific legislation. So I feel in necessary to set the record straight on this report for all to see.
Here are some quotes from the CDC and Doctors involved in the studies explaining how the report is INACCURATE:
* Procedure: We collected data from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and media accounts related to dog bite attacks and fatalities, using methods from previous studies (CDC Special Report on breeds involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998, September 2000).
* Ideally, breed-specific bite rates would be calculated to compare breeds and quantify the relative dangerousness of each breed. For example, 10 fatal attacks by Breed X relative to a population of 10,000 X’s (1/1,000) implies a greater risk than 100 attacks by Breed Y relative to a population of 1,000,000 Y’s (0.1/1,000). Without consideration of the population sizes, Breed Y would be perceived to be the more dangerous breed on the basis of the number of fatalities. (CDC Special Report on breeds involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998, September 2000). NOTE: The CDC study does NOT use population as a factor.
* Considering only bites that resulted in fatalities, because they are more easily ascertained than nonfatal bites, the numerator of a dog breed-specific human DBRF rate requires a complete accounting of human DBRF as well as an accurate determination of the breeds involved. Numerator data may be biased for 4 reasons. First, the human DBRF reported here are likely underestimated; prior work suggests the approach we used identifies only 74% of actual cases.1,2 Second, to the extent that attacks by 1 breed are more newsworthy than those by other breeds, our methods may have resulted in differential ascertainment of fatalities by breed. Third, because identification of a dog’s breed may be subjective (even experts may disagree on the breed of a particular dog), DBRF may be differentially ascribed to breeds with a reputation for aggression. Fourth, it is not clear how to count attacks by crossbred dogs. Ignoring these data underestimates breed involvement (29% of attacking dogs were crossbred dogs), whereas including them permits a single dog to be counted more than once. (CDC Special Report on breeds involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998, September 2000)
* Finally, it is imperative to keep in mind that even if breed-specific bite rates could be accurately calculated, they do not factor in owner related issues. For example, less responsible owners or owners who want to foster aggression in their dogs may be drawn differentially to certain breeds. (CDC Special Report on breeds involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998, September 2000) After 1998, the CDC stopped tracking which breeds of dogs are involved in fatal attacks; according to a CDC spokesperson, that information is no longer considered to be of discernible value) (Pit Bulls in the City, Indy Tails July 2005)
* "There are enormous difficulties in collecting dog bite data," Dr. Gilchrist said. She explained that no centralized reporting system for dog bites exists, and incidents are typically relayed to a number of entities, such as the police, veterinarians, animal control, and emergency rooms, making meaningful analysis nearly impossible. (CDC releases epidemiological survey of dog bites in 2001, September 2003)
* When multiple dogs of the same breed were involved in the same fatal episode, that breed was counted only once (eg, if 10 Akitas attacked and killed a person, that breed was counted once rather than 10 times). When crossbred dogs were involved in a fatality, each suspected breed in the dog’s lineage was counted once for that episode. Second, we tallied data by dog. When multiple dogs of the same breed were involved in a single incident, each dog was counted individually. We allocated crossbred dogs into separate breeds and counted them similarly (eg, if 3 Great Dane-Rottweiler crossbreeds attacked a person, Great Dane was counted 3 times under crossbred, and Rottweiler was counted 3 times under crossbred). Data are presented separately for dogs identified as pure- and crossbred. (CDC Special Report on breeds involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998, September 2000)
Here are some quotes from the CDC and Doctors involved in the studies concerning Breed Specific Legislation:
* When a specific breed of dog has been selected for stringent control, 2 constitutional questions concerning dog owners’ fourteenth amendment rights have been raised: first, because all types of dogs may inflict injury to people and property, ordinances addressing only 1 breed of dog are argued to be under inclusive and, therefore, violate owners’ equal protection rights; and second, because identification of a dog’s breed with the certainty necessary to impose sanctions on the dog’s owner is prohibitively difficult, such ordinances have been argued as unconstitutionally vague, and, therefore, violate due process.
* Another concern is that a ban on a specific breed might cause people who want a dangerous dog to simply turn to another breed for the same qualities they sought in the original dog (eg, large size, aggression easily fostered). Breed-specific legislation does not address the fact that a dog of any breed can become dangerous when bred or trained to be aggressive.
* Other risk factors included dogs who roamed the neighborhood or dogs who were tethered. In other words, it appeared that the negligence of human guardians was a higher risk factor than the breed of the dog. learned breed-specific legislation is not the way to tackle the issue of dog bites,” said Dr. Julie Gilchrist of the CDC Injury Center in Atlanta, Georgia. “Instead, we should look at the people with those dogs responsible for the bites.” (Pit Bulls in the City, Indy Tails July 2005)
A couple of personal comments on the CDC report and others like it on why they are fictional at best!
* On the CDC report they have broken it down into a couple of sections, Purebred and Crossbred. Under Purebred they list "Pit bull-type" dog, this is NOT a Purebred dog? They use that very same header under Crossbred which invalidates this report.
* Using a term like "pit bull-type" would indicate that any number of breeds (as there are 20+ that are mistaken as pit bulls) and mixed breeds could have been grouped under these counts.
* As for Crossbred or mixed breed dogs it is my opinion that they need to all be grouped under "mixed breed". When it comes to mixed breed dogs, it's virtually impossible to determine the breeds. If in fact you do know specifically what breeds the dog is (which is rare) how would one know which "breed" did the biting?
* In the first bullet point they admit to using, "media accounts". That alone tells us this report is nothing more than a waste of paper. The media is certainly NOT a place to gather information for a statistical study. There are many incidents that are reported as X then turn out to be Y. Many cases of mistaken breed identity or out right lies. Here are a few: http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/MistakenIdentity/WrongId.htm
* Furthmore, this report was a collaboration of the CDC and the AVMA both of which are against breed specific legislation!
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.pitbulls
pitbulls are not unpredictable. It's their owners. All dogs can bite. all dogs can maul. I've seen rotty's and dobie's that were perfectly trained maul a cat, and even a small child. It's not the dog breed. its the owner. But I do agree fine the ignorant dog owner that allows an untrained dog to do as he pleases without consequences. Those are the people who ruin it for the rest of us. We do need more dog parks. There are a lot of empty lots and fields that can be made into a dog park. We don't need more condo's or shopping malls. We need more parks for our pets and children.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Good idea
Around here there needs to be a lot more restrictions, or enforcement of current restrictions, on dogs, or maybe I should say owners, around here. As mentioned above, stupid owners are 90% of the issue. Like a child, if the dog is never properly trained, you can't blame him for his actions. Several times we seen people at Thorncraig with their dogs not on a leash. One time a leash-less dog was scaring young children and the dog owners laughing because the kids were scared of the dog.
I see people walking their dogs around the neighborhood and letting their dogs crap on neighbors lawn, then they just continue along their way, leaving it there. People, clean up after your pets. Things like this make it though for those of us who are considerate and clean up after our pets, when restrictions against animals are put into place.
I guess a dog is only going to be as smart as his owner. As much as I hate to say it, this ban is needed.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.I can't STAND people who
I can't STAND people who bring their dogs into stores. Do you not think about the other customers? I don't care HOW well trained your dog is, it's still a filthy beast that has no place in a public building.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Dogs
Better not venture out of Lewiston then. Heaven forbid that you should try to broaden your horizons by going somewhere like England or France. Dogs are everywhere there---public transportation, stores, restaurants---best keep your filthyy human self at home!!
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Filthy
How about the filthy crappy dirty diaper kid in shopping carts with their filthy sticky candy hands,and the parents aren't much better. My dogs are a hell of a lot cleaner then some people.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.sadness
I agree with training, I take my great dane everywhere stores allow dogs, nursing homes and Thorncraig. I am very saddened about dog owners who cannot pick up after their dog and have dogs that are not controlled are ruining this for good dog owners. I see an increase of dogs there myself and I was worried about this. I trained my dog when he was a puppy and I can walk him without a leash and without him tugging my arm off when on a leash and when he meets other dogs he is calm most of the time unless we meet a dog who is uncontrollable, which I do want to say to the owner this dog needs to be home until he can behave. To the ones that think the dogs are scaring away the chipmunks and birds get a life. Stop cutting down the trees and putting up gazebos, put up more signs that people can't ry to pull trees out of the ground or pull out roots, and move rocks around. It people who do the damage. Please don't close this to dogs.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.TRAINING
Training is really the key issue here. There are no stupid dogs...just stupid owners! In my travels I so often see dogs pulling their owners along, straining at their leads. People...learn how to control your animal! You will both be happier for it...and the rest of us will be as well! There are dog training classes available. There are books at the library if one cannot afford to go to a class. I hear owners say..."well he's just a pup." What a load of crap that is! I have owned dogs for years and they have all been trained to behave and to have manners. Training doesn't take a long time, it just needs to be consistant. Your dog will be happier and so will we!
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.no dogs at Thorncrag
This is a bird park not a dog park The dog do do is everywhere Than they bark and scare the birds Band dogs now so we can see some birds again its hard to see Birds when your looking down for doo doo
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Are there actually any birds
Are there actually any birds in Thorncrag? I've been there twice and never even heard a bird, much less saw one. The place seems deader than dead.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Can't Blame Thorncrag
My wife and I were at Thorncrag last week. I noticed dog poop in a number of places especially near the entrances. I have always been aware of the ignorance of a significant percentage of dog-owners. It has continually amazed me that they allow their dogs to crap where ever they wish without any thought about who will have to clean up their mess. It is rude, it is ignorant, and it is sad. Add to them the ones who have dogs that strain against their leashes, appearing to be on the verge of attack, or the ones with dogs they allow to run free, and it ruins many things for those who own dogs responsibly.
As a dog owner for the past year my wife and I are even more sensitive to these ignorant people. As we walked around Thorncrag I mentioned that we should bring our dog for a walk there someday. My wife noted, quite presciently, that it should be soon before the rude owners ruined the pleasure for everyone. Too late.
The board of directors need to do what is necessary to protect Thorncrag. Many thanks to them for providing a place where many of us can go and enjoy nature.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Dog park?
Has anyone in the Dirty Lew area given thought to creating a Dog friendly park?
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Great question, i tried as a
Great question, i tried as a councilor and tried to get the city to find matching funds from dog owners and businesses who cater to pets but alas, there was more important work for them to do...and yet we sit on acres on land not used, for example corner of North Temple and sabattus...a perfect location for parking and a dog park.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Dog Park
The Humane Society of Androscoggin County is soon to open its new dog park next door to their facility on Strawberry Ave. Call them for details.
- Permalink
- Is this comment inappropriate?
Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.