At a street fair in DC last week, a police officer shot and killed some guy's dog. Some called it "cowboy gunslinging"; others said it was necessary. What we know for sure: it's time to argue about dogs in public.

The controversy-sparking question: Should people be taking their big-ass dogs out to farmer's markets and street fairs and other crowded places? Or should they maybe keep their dogs at home, for once, god damn it? What if the dog goes crazy and gets shot by a cop? That has been known to make "a young girl with a butterfly painted on her face become 'hysterical'?" Could you live with yourself? And what about the fact that people don't want your dog "snuffling around their chicken-on-a-stick on a hot summer's day"? Aren't Americans allowed to enjoy a chicken-on-a-stick any more, without your dog harassing them out of their rights? These and other provocative, controversial questions are raised by the Washington Post in today's controversial story about whether you can bring your dog any damn where you please, or whether you should leave your slobbery ugly dog at home. Consider the potential consequences: "dog behavioral expert Sarah Kalnajs" witnessed "a great Dane is seen eyeing a tiny dog yipping at his tail" at a street fair in Wisconsin. You'll never guess what happened next:

She turned off the camera to go warn the dog's owner about the dangerous situation, but "before I could even get to them, he turned and grabbed the other dog and shook it and killed him."

Conclusion: if you're dog's really big, the worst thing that could happen is it eats some little "tiny yipping dog." So go for it.

[WaPo. Pic: Flickr]