CANINE COVERAGE
Public Attitudes toward Dogs in the City of Rochester, 1945-1980
RAVI HUGHES
Watch this short film on local media coverage of dogs in 20th century Rochester. An audio transcript has been provided after the embedded video.
FIGURE ONE
Canine Coverage
(Ravi Hughes, 2025)
TRANSCRIPT
Dogs have long been an important part of human lives. The relationship between the two goes back over tens of thousands of years, and with it, there exists a long history of human-animal interaction. This relationship continues to grow and evolve over time and faces changes that are documented via the discourse around dogs in the media. If we zoom in on Rochester, New York, from 1945 to 1980, we can see an interesting glimpse at these attitude shifts in the region. The media coverage of dogs in Rochester shows us a couple shifts in how the local area, as well as much of the rest of America, perceived dogs at the time. During the post-war years into the 1970s, Rochester’s growing industry saw dog’s wellbeing and care begin to eclipse their utilitarian function for farming or hunting, although they continued to be used in this way as well. Increases in dog population and urbanization led to controversial policies in New York State. This perceived challenge to dog’s welfare led to increased attention to animal welfare in the media and led to lasting change in the way news outlets reported on dogs.
Rochester, New York, in the post-war era saw changes in its economy and way of living. Rochester’s population had been growing during the industrialization of the first half of the 20th century, and it began to expand into the suburbs.1 However, the population would hit its peak in the 1950s and decline after.2 With this peak population in the 1950s, and the economic prosperity of the post-war era, dogs began to enjoy the spotlight for their aesthetics, with much of the media attention around dogs recounting their successes at Dog Shows that became popular earlier in the century and continued to grow in popularity. Rochester’s media representation of dogs from this period mainly included news about these dog shows, aside from a 1946 incident where a dog named “Tippy” was arrested and sent to jail with his owner for disorderly conduct at a protest.3 Beyond the arrested dog, most coverage on dogs from pre-1952 centered on these beloved dog shows and highlights the appreciation for the aesthetics of dogs that was prominent at the time. Newspapers did include some dog related content and occasional anecdotes about lost dogs finding their way home, but dogs were largely absent from larger conversation.
In the early 1950s, we saw a new manner in how these newspapers discussed dogs. Around 1951, the emergence of the term “the dog problem” appeared in several newspapers. Whilst the occasional story ran in papers before about loose dogs or dog bites, in the early 1950s the newspapers reported multiple stories about the debate over what to do with dogs in public. Debates over leashes became common and petitions were started to attempt to control dogs. This is the first identifiable shift in the newspaper’s headlines that centers dogs as an issue in the city. The dog problem was just the first shift in public discussion on dogs in the city. A major piece of legislation that had a large impact on dogs during this time was the Hatch-Metcalf Act in New York State. The act was proposed in 1951 and considered for passage in 1952. Given the rise in media coverage of “the dog problem,” it is possible the act was a response to overcrowding of pounds and shelters with unwanted dogs and cats. Instead, the state wanted to use them for medical purposes although I was unable to find any conclusive evidence for this. The “Dog Surrender Act” required that shelters and pounds would surrender unwanted dogs and cats to laboratories for use in medical testing. Many proponents for the act cited human health concerns as their primary motivation for their support of the Act. Much like other cases regarding human-animal interactions, the theme of anthropocentric concerns eclipsed the consideration for potential issues with animal welfare concerns.
A newspaper article from the Rochester Sun quotes Dr. Freida Robbin and Dr. Harold Hodge from the University of Rochester as saying, “Animal experimentation, which has been the primary factor in the saving of lives and the reduction of suffering, is facing a crisis due to pressure brought to bear by anti-groups throughout the world.” They continue to state that “unless a strong battle to offset the thinking of those people, termed anti-vivisectionists, is launched and legislation passed, the progress of medicine will drastically be impaired.”4 This argument for medical research progress was persuasive to lawmakers, and the Hatch-Metcalf Act was passed in mid-1952 by Governor Dewey, who cited cancer research as a driving motivation. The decision was supported by local medical groups, like one in Fairport that cited the fact that many dogs and cats are put to death, and animal testing offers an alternative to this fate.
The bill ended up drawing strong reactions from animal rights advocates and the general public. Many animal rights advocates took to the newspapers to voice their opinions on the matter with many mentions of the Hatch-Metcalf Act in newspapers being in the letter to the editor sections. Many wrote to voice their moral objections to the act, citing multiple concerns. George Albert Legg, President of the Humane Society of New York, was quoted in a newspaper article as saying, “We are not opposed to necessary and legitimate medical research,” but cited three major flaws with the Hatch-Metcalf Act. These included stating that the Act was unnecessary as the medical laboratories have an abundance of animals that they already have access to without the aid of the humane societies. He also stated that the law “requires humane societies to act as procurement agencies” for these laboratories. Lastly, he mentioned the fact that the law does not include any language that ensures the fair treatment of the animals, and that once surrendered, the dogs are at the mercy of the laboratories with little oversight.5 The debate over the act would go on for years. Many citizens continued to write to their local papers and to larger news outlets such as the New York Times. Some began to create coalitions to oppose the legislation and would post ads in the media to garner support and grow their coalitions.
From this point after 1952, the predominant mentions of dogs in the newspapers shifted from mainly solely focused on reports of dogs as show winners, or announcements of dog show schedules, but began to include outspoken support from the public and from special interest groups such as the Humane Society for the advancement of animal welfare. This shift was important as in January 1966, an investigation by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle exposed dog abuse in Rochester where dogs were being sold by middlemen to laboratories for profit. Dogs seized by wardens were being mistreated and sold for medical testing without proper record keeping or documentation. This led to further discussion over the welfare of dogs in the area. The Humane Society and the SPCA continued to work to get the laws changed. In 1977, the New York State Assembly voted 110-22 in favor of repealing the Hatch-Metcalf Act.6 The public reacted in various ways to the deliberation of the bill to repeal the act. Many were in favor, citing the same concerns as when the Act was passed, while others maintained their support for medical testing with the animals. After the Hatch-Metcalf Act was repealed, mentions of the act in news media became scarce.
The attitudes towards dogs in Rochester shifted towards more advocacy for humane views of how we should treat dogs. The animal rights advocates and humane societies in Rochester fought hard for these attitude shifts in the area. This shift has left a lasting legacy in the region as Lollypop Farms and other local dog groups continue to work for the humane treatment of dogs in the Rochester area. Local dog shows continue to host shows, with the Genesee Valley Kennel Club planning to host their events in the area in August of 2025. Although these shifts were not massive changes in the ancient human-dog relationship, the example of Rochester shows how changes in government policies and the response from the public led to a greater awareness for the humane treatment of dogs and underscored a growing commitment from the public to animal welfare in the region that continues to dominate social views on dogs to this day.
NOTES
1. Marcotte, Bob. “Rochester Products That Helped Win World War II.” Rochester City Library, 2004, www.libraryweb.org/~rochhist/v66_2004/v66i1.pdf.
2. Lahman, Sean. “Rochester Population Falls out of Top 100.” Democrat and Chronicle, 21 May 2015, www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2015/05/21/rochester-population-falls-top/27 710675/.
3. Silvarole, Georgie. “Talk about a ‘ruff’ Day in Rochester. This Dog Ended up in Jail.” Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 25 Apr. 2019, www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/04/25/dog-jailed-rochester-ny-1946-stri ke-rare-historical-photos/3562218002/.
4. “The Sun- 31st January 1952.” New York State Historic Newspapers, 31 Jan. 1952, nyshistoricnewspapers.org/.
5. “STATE ANIMAL LAW HELD UNNECESSARY: LABORATORIES CALL FOR FEWER DOGS THAN ARE DESTROYED IN POUNDS, SOCIETY SAYS.” New York Times (1923-), 08 Jan., 1953, pp. 32. ProQuest, https://ezp.lib.rochester.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/state-animallaw-held-unnecessary/docview/112664421/se-2.
6. Buechner, Betsy. “SPCA-Backed Bill’s Aim: Keep Strays out of Labs.” Democrat and Chronicle, 22 Apr. 1977, pp. 2–2.
IMAGE CREDITS
Footage used in this video essay was taken from the following:
https://pixabay.com/videos/search/dog/
https://videezy.com
https://karinalyudmilova.wordpress.com/dogs-role-with-humans/
https://rochsociety.com/the-enduring-bond-a-comprehensive-history-of-the-relationship-between-dogs-and-humans/
https://mcnygenealogy.com/pictures/5700/pic-5946.htm
https://www.newspapers.com/image/456574557/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/135972936/
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/belgian-tervuren-history-a-true-renaissance-dog/
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Housing-for-dogs-in-an-American-research-laboratory-1950 s-Photograph-courtesy-of-the_fig4_6533009
https://cvm.msu.edu/vetschool-tails/no-ebbing-this-flo-veterinary-orthopedic-giant-retires-legacy-lives-on
https://www.facilities.rochester.edu/history/MC/Robbins.htm
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/education/graduate/phd/toxicolog y/documents/UR-Tox-History.pdf
https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org