I expect someone will soon sick a vicious junkyard dog on me. This is because I’m trying to make sense of a Jan. 9 hearing before the Salt Lake City Council over whether to turn a longtime nature park near the mouth of Parley’s Canyon into a full-time, off-leash dog zone.

It got a little nuts.

First, there were these off-leash activists who packed the meeting. They love their dogs as much as any parent loves her children. They want the whole of Parley’s Historic Nature Park, at 2700 East and 2700 South, to be open to their dogs, sans leash. As near as I can tell, these folks think their domesticated dog companions have some biological imperative to run free.

Opponents to the total off-leash area argued that no matter how well-behaved, dogs will always alter the natural environment. They speed erosion of stream beds, disturb birds and other wildlife. The park could function with on-leash, off-leash and no-dogs-at-all zones, they say.

Ted Wilson was Salt Lake City mayor in the early ’80s when property owners deeded their land to the city for the park. He reminded everyone of the history of the place. Mormon pioneers trekked right through it and followed Parleys Creek in to the valley. It should be preserved.

The City Council took the matter under advisement.

I sensed that the dog people thought Ted, who also happens to be my husband, has something against dogs. Hardly. He told them a little about our 10-year-old pound mutt, Kip. Kip is mostly wiener dog, but with long hair. He also may be Welsh corgi. He has terrier ears. The grandkids like to dress him up, or push him around the living room in a laundry basket. Kip endures all manner of humiliation to please them.

It’s a dog’s life for Kip, which means he gets two squares a day, a lamb’s wool cushion in front of the fireplace and a daily walk. Oh, and did I mention regular pats on the head and belly scratches? That, too.

The point being: Kip is a dog. He has a place in the house, in our lives, and he knows it. He isn’t a child. He doesn’t substitute for a child. He’s key to this family, but he is a DOG.

Here are two comments from dog lovers to the City Council, which sums up the group’s feelings:

–”I have two dogs. I don’t have any children and who knows if I’ll ever have a child? I give them equal time that I would give to a child I might bring into the world.”

–”I need to give [my dogs] the quality of life that everyone gives their children. I don’t have children. I’ve been taking my dog to this park for two years now. I’ve seen the park improve in that time, in terms of cleanliness and the environment. It wasn’t a pure preserve before. It’s important for people who have animals who need to run to keep this park off-leash.”

Would I feel differently had I never given birth to children? If dogs were all I had as family? Hard to say. But I found myself trying to understand this urge so many humans have to turn their dogs into people.

Hey Kip, any thoughts?

Nah. He’s snoozing.

Word of the week: “Surge.” As in, George W. Bush’s call for another 20,000 troops while he plunges us further into a lost cause in Iraq. Until the last couple of weeks, I actually liked the word “surge.” Nice, active verb. Colorful. But now that “surge” has become the latest buzzword for the Bush Administration and other assorted warmongers, the word has lost some meaning for me.

I always think of it this way: Feelings and emotions surge. A “surge” of passion. A “surge” of embarrassment . Perhaps we “surge” into something that takes great concentration and dedication. Like “surging” into our latest project at work. I detest the word linking with yet another misguided thrust into a region that is all but lost to civil war.

Besides, wasn’t it a “surge” of the American electorate that told Bush last November they oppose his handling of the war, oppose further involvement of American forces, and decided the Democrats ought to have their shot at a solution?

I watched Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware) on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. He’s awfully senatorial, he starts sounding a little pugnacious and he seldom captivates me on the issue at hand. But his sentiments on Iraq, have been echoed by other bright minds and are right on.

A political solution, Biden says, should come first. Then we can worry about a physical solution. It makes sense. It’s called planning ahead.

Seems to me that any decent “surge” ought to have a good blueprint behind it before it ever takes place.

And I hope that someday the power of that terrific word gets restored to its rightful place.