Who you calling a dog?

Concerning the article “Cracking Down” (1/08/2026). I want to acknowledge that the City of Durango’s park rangers have a very difficult and likely thankless job enforcing rules and regulations in our parks and open spaces. So, thank you, park rangers! However, I am concerned that they may lack adequate training to properly identify an off-leash “dog.” If a park ranger were to issue a citation based on the misidentification of a dog, that would serve no one’s needs. 

It’s a scientific fact that dogs (Canus lupis familaris) are dogs. Taxonomically, there are many “dog-like” genera in the fossil record and animal kingdom including the genus Vulpes (foxes) and Lycaon (African wild dogs). All these generally fall under the family Canidae. So, for the purposes of regulation enforcement on the Animas River Trail and in city open space, they are dogs. Park rangers, don’t let any of these “dog” owners convince you otherwise!

While morphological and genetic characteristics often dominate the taxonomic classifications, scientists are increasingly utilizing behavioral traits to distinguish similar-looking species. This is where I am concerned with the difficulty that the park rangers may have in identifying a dog. As the old saying goes: If it walks like a duck (dog), and talks like a duck (dog), then it must be a duck (dog). Well, I’m here to tell you this is false. What a park ranger may mistake for a “duck dog” is actually my hairy human child with an affinity for swimming and playing catch. 

Granted, it’s a weird and unusual condition, and the doctors can’t really figure it out, but she is 12 years old now and doing pretty good all things considered. Her name is Miki, and, like a lot of pre-teens, we finally felt she was getting old enough to get her a smart watch – mostly so my wife could GPS track her when she leaves the house to hang with her friends. She eats all the family meals, sleeps in bed, rides inside the car and buckles up. She talks and whines more than her older brothers, who are in high school now.

Amazingly, she balances the demands of three jobs (that’s the Durango tango for you) and maintains a dedicated fitness routine. She loves traveling, skate skiing, the beach and surfing. Santa brings her presents and fills her stocking. She gets birthday cards from her doctor every year. And she sh*ts inside like the rest of us. Behaviorally, she is human, albeit an ugly one. Park rangers, please make no mistake, for a dog she is NOT.

– Brian Magee, Durango