It began when one resident saw the dogs walking in Needham?s Fourth of July parade. To her they seemed to be panting in the heat, their paws on the hot pavement.
The dogs walked with their owners on the 3-mile route as part of Needham dog care company Decadent Dog. The resident was furious at what she saw as inhumane treatment of animals?dogs walking out in 90-degree weather.??
So she went to social media.
Her Facebook post, which has since been removed, described what she perceived as an abusive treatment of dogs, said Decadent Dog owner Rob Nager.
The post circulated around the Internet, appearing in sites like Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, the Facebook page for a humane society the resident belonged to and even Decadent Dog?s own Facebook page. The issue drew in critics from around the country, said Nager.
?Shame on you for walking dogs in 90 degree temperature. You should be ashamed of yourself! Abusive! Totally abusive!? wrote a Facebook user who identified herself as Susan Brown.
?The fact that you allowed dogs? pads to walk on the hot tar is horrifying and ends discussion,? wrote a Facebook user who identified herself as Marsha Maxson Donarum.
Other similar comments followed, but many came to defend Decadent Dog?s practices.
?I do know that there?s no one in the world I?d trust more with my dog (10 year old pit mix) than Rob and his employees,? wrote a user who identified herself as Jessica Klebanoff and who said she was a Michigan resident.
?There is no human on the planet I know who loves dogs as much as Rob Nager,? wrote a Facebook user who identified as Amy Masters Ribner.
The comments led to one of the Internet Age?s unsavory by-products, the flame war, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as ?an argument between Internet users who repeatedly provoke each other with personal attacks through e-mail and other forms of online communication.?
?It started to get really ugly. People were insulting and attacking everybody,? said Nager.
Nager then wrote several posts on the Decadent Dog Facebook page asserting that the roughly 20 dogs in the parade were not forced to march, were watched over by professional staff and were cycled into the company?s air-conditioned truck. He urged commenters on both sides to stop throwing personal attacks at each other.
But he said he didn?t believe in deleting comments on his Facebook page, since users have a right to say what they want.
?We have nothing to hide and have more than clearly displayed that the dogs were incredibly well cared for and were the beneficiaries of careful planning by experienced professionals,? he wrote. ?I think it's unethical to delete anything. Hopefully future visitors to this page will be able to read everything and decide for themselves.?
No dogs were sick or harmed at the parade and Nager has since spoken to the concerned resident, who has since withdrawn and deleted all of her comments, he said.
Nager, whose company has participated in Needham?s Fourth of July celebrations for four years, said he plans to make sure everyone can see the dogs under suitable care, such as bringing umbrellas to give them shade.
According to a press release by the MSPCA?s Angell Animal Medical Center, animals are susceptible to heat stroke during summertime, especially dogs with short snouts such as pugs and bulldogs.
The release recommended walking dogs on ?softer ground such as dirt trails or grass instead of hot blacktop or cement sidewalks, which can burn their paws.?
Pets should be provided plenty of water and shade, and should be kept inside during the most intense heat waves, said the release. Pets should never be left inside cars, even in 80 degree weather, since the inside temperature of a car can soar to 110 degrees within 10 minutes, said the release.
The MSPCA wrote that signs of heat stroke include excessive panting, vomiting, intense fatigue, loss of appetite or lethargy.
Nager said that no the dogs at the Fourth of July parade last week exhibited any signs of heat stroke.
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