Common Sense

Really, the McLennan County Commissioners Court is so full of drama, it should be on TV. We could lock them all in a house and put hidden cameras everywhere. It would be better than the Surreal Life! This week’s episode: Every dog has his day.

McLennan County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt an order barring animals from county buildings unless they meet certain exceptions. But it may not end debate over whether a local judge can bring his dog to work.

Under the new order, clear-cut instances exist in which animals are allowed in buildings owned or leased by the county. They include fish kept in aquariums, animals brought to the Heart O’ Texas Fairgrounds and service animals that help people with disabilities.

But another category of exemptions may prove trickier. It says animals are allowed in county facilities if they are being used as part of a “judicial or law enforcement program.”

Judge Strother thinks that is exactly what his dog Buff is doing when it sits in his chair in his office everyday. That’s because Judge Strother is a jackass.

In order for a dog to be a real therapy aid, it needs to be trained properly. I know of one such dog, Rocky B, owned by one Space Monkey and Family. That dog has been specially trained to help people feel better and to make orphans laugh again and all kinds of things. The program is called Angel Paws (Ha, I remembered the name! Go me!)

Buff is a scroungy cocker spaniel that sits in a chair and needs a a bailiff to to take it outside, otherwise the courtroom would smell like dog piss.

The kicker, though, is that none of this was ever about Strother or his dog. Commissioner Gibson was talking about a completely other dog that did pee on the floor in his office.

After listing his concerns, Gibson disputed the notion that he initiated a discussion about an animal policy because of Strother’s dog. What spurred him to action, he said, was an incident a few weeks ago.

The assistant to Precinct 4 Commissioner Ray Meadows had a dog in the records buildings, where the commissioners’ offices are, Gibson said, and it urinated on his floor. Other people had brought dogs into the building before, he said, and because people with allergies had complained, he thought a policy might be in order.

Meadows responded by saying the only reason his assistant had the dog is because she had rescued it from the street. It was in the county facility only a short time before the assistant to Precinct 1 Commissioner Wendall Crunk took it to her home on her lunch break.

“Maybe you would rather let the dog get run over in the middle of the road,” Meadows said. “I don’t know. . . . But as soon as I saw it, I said, ‘You’ve got to get that thing out of here,’ and she did.”

Is it my imagination, or did Meadows just argue for and against this new policy all in one sentence? That man is insane.

Anyway, Meadows thinks this has been overblown (insert gratuitous Tijuana brothel joke here), but I think there is a legitimate gripe to be had. Some people aren’t allowed to bring their pets to the courthouse, why should a judge get special treatment? Especially since his “therapy” excuse is clearly that, an excuse. And especially since I hate this particular dog.

All of this is nothing that can’t be settled in a Texas-style cage match between Judge Jim Lewis, Lester Gibson, Ray Meadows and Judge Strother live on Pay-Per-View!

By the way, Strother and Gibson traded barbs over the comments the judge made about the dog more well-behaved than the commissioner.

“I would never compare any human being with my pet,” Gibson said.

I don’t know, I’ve been known to compare girlfiends I don’t like with my old dog Sally.

Asked if he plans to get Buff certified as a therapy dog, Strother said he has visited with local officials involved in dog therapy. But he noted that Buff’s hearing is bad and that he wonders if it’s fair to put the stress of certification tests on a dog equivalent in age to a 91-year-old man.

“It’s kind of like asking a senior citizen with a perfect driving record to go out and pass a commercial driver’s exam,” Strother said.

Number one, senior citizens shouldn’t drive, they just get in my way. Number two, Judge Strother see this earlier post.

Really, the McLennan County Commissioners Court is so full of drama, it should be on TV. We could lock them all in a house and put hidden cameras everywhere. It would be better than the Surreal Life! This week’s episode: Every dog has his day.

McLennan County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt an order barring animals from county buildings unless they meet certain exceptions. But it may not end debate over whether a local judge can bring his dog to work.

Under the new order, clear-cut instances exist in which animals are allowed in buildings owned or leased by the county. They include fish kept in aquariums, animals brought to the Heart O’ Texas Fairgrounds and service animals that help people with disabilities.

But another category of exemptions may prove trickier. It says animals are allowed in county facilities if they are being used as part of a “judicial or law enforcement program.”

Judge Strother thinks that is exactly what his dog Buff is doing when it sits in his chair in his office everyday. That’s because Judge Strother is a jackass.

In order for a dog to be a real therapy aid, it needs to be trained properly. I know of one such dog, Rocky B, owned by one Space Monkey and Family. That dog has been specially trained to help people feel better and to make orphans laugh again and all kinds of things. The program is called Angel Paws (Ha, I remembered the name! Go me!)

Buff is a scroungy cocker spaniel that sits in a chair and needs a a bailiff to to take it outside, otherwise the courtroom would smell like dog piss.

The kicker, though, is that none of this was ever about Strother or his dog. Commissioner Gibson was talking about a completely other dog that did pee on the floor in his office.

After listing his concerns, Gibson disputed the notion that he initiated a discussion about an animal policy because of Strother’s dog. What spurred him to action, he said, was an incident a few weeks ago.

The assistant to Precinct 4 Commissioner Ray Meadows had a dog in the records buildings, where the commissioners’ offices are, Gibson said, and it urinated on his floor. Other people had brought dogs into the building before, he said, and because people with allergies had complained, he thought a policy might be in order.

Meadows responded by saying the only reason his assistant had the dog is because she had rescued it from the street. It was in the county facility only a short time before the assistant to Precinct 1 Commissioner Wendall Crunk took it to her home on her lunch break.

“Maybe you would rather let the dog get run over in the middle of the road,” Meadows said. “I don’t know. . . . But as soon as I saw it, I said, ‘You’ve got to get that thing out of here,’ and she did.”

Is it my imagination, or did Meadows just argue for and against this new policy all in one sentence? That man is insane.

Anyway, Meadows thinks this has been overblown (insert gratuitous Tijuana brothel joke here), but I think there is a legitimate gripe to be had. Some people aren’t allowed to bring their pets to the courthouse, why should a judge get special treatment? Especially since his “therapy” excuse is clearly that, an excuse. And especially since I hate this particular dog.

All of this is nothing that can’t be settled in a Texas-style cage match between Judge Jim Lewis, Lester Gibson, Ray Meadows and Judge Strother live on Pay-Per-View!

By the way, Strother and Gibson traded barbs over the comments the judge made about the dog more well-behaved than the commissioner.

“I would never compare any human being with my pet,” Gibson said.

I don’t know, I’ve been known to compare girlfiends I don’t like with my old dog Sally.

Asked if he plans to get Buff certified as a therapy dog, Strother said he has visited with local officials involved in dog therapy. But he noted that Buff’s hearing is bad and that he wonders if it’s fair to put the stress of certification tests on a dog equivalent in age to a 91-year-old man.

“It’s kind of like asking a senior citizen with a perfect driving record to go out and pass a commercial driver’s exam,” Strother said.

Number one, senior citizens shouldn’t drive, they just get in my way. Number two, Judge Strother see this earlier post.