Willoughby: Dogs transitioning to indoor pets

Today there are around 78,000,000 pet dogs, but it wasn’t until the 1800s that indoor pets were common. It grew rapidly in the 1880s, and there was an accompanying growth in businesses that sold pet products. There were even cases of dogs being stolen and ransomed. Dogs in Aspen, in its earliest years, were common, but most of the newspaper reports on dogs at that time were disapproving. Local dog news in 1885 focused on what apparently was a concerning problem — there were many dogs that may have been pets, but were not “indoor” pets, roaming the streets. To attack the problem, the city initiated dog licenses. An article, titled “Protect your Dogs,” announced the city marshal would begin collecting the dog tax. “Those owning favorite canines will do well to see that this tax is paid, if they do not want their pet poodles shot.” Soon after that announcement, The Aspen Times reported that, “the police began the work of ridding the city of the numerous dogs that abound Aspen.

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