Life is full of important decisions...

...like who to leash. This week I pose a simple question. Hypothetically speaking, if you had a dog and a child and you saw these two signs walking down the street, which would outrage you? Which, if either, would you obey?

                      

Some say that dogs actually outnumber children in San Francisco. I'd say they might outrank them too so it’s no surprise there has been such outrage and protest over new stronger leash laws proposed by the National Park Service here in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. But where is the outrage over the situation pictured below?

It might be a little difficult to see because it was taken through the screen window but clearly the dog has no leash but the child does have one! This was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. Who's in charge here? Is it the dog, ordering these two shackled humans to march ahead of him? Is it the woman, who trusts the dog to follow by walking ahead of it? Is it not possible to teach a child the same trick? Or is it the child, successfully demanding and receiving the adult's full attention?

Most everyone in San Francisco is aware, opinionated and vocal about the new leash laws for dogs so I started wondering what these same people think about child leashes and what they might think about the above photo. Google “child leash” and you’ll get a wide variety of content from websites that sell child leashes to parenting blogs vehemently arguing both sides and even a disturbing video on YouTube of a mother literally dragging her child through a Verizon store. Even Bay Area company (and Bay to Breakers sponsor but we’ll save the rant on that controversy for another day) Zazzle.com, sits on the fence by selling t-shirts to those on both sides with slogans like “Free the leash kids” and “Please support child leash laws”. So, at least here in San Francisco, it seems that everyone can agree that leashes are bad...for dogs...but for children?…well no one is too sure about that.