The political tension in this country might be eased with a comprehensive strategy involving pets, particularly dogs. I base this idea on my own medical experience after reading research on the value of pets to relieve emotional stress.

My cardiomyopathy, specifically a myocardial infarction where my heart pumps alarmingly less blood and oxygen to my lungs than necessary, needs treatments to heal it. Treatments include medications and nutritional supplements. My most enjoyable treatment is our new pet dog, Haley.

My most difficult task is reducing stress and anger. I follow politics in the news, and allow infuriating political shenanigans to irritate me.

Last weekend I let stress build as we felt the pressure our children experience from tight incomes. Our daughter with three boys keeps searching for the possibility of owning a home on her teacher’s salary. Our oldest son faces a fourth consecutive year of a frozen salary as a faculty member.

Both of them face college tuition in five to seven years, and Washington legislators propose to raise those costs even faster than they’ve been rising. In the back of my mind was the legislation in Wisconsin that restricted teachers’ collective bargaining rights and rolled back their benefits. Could it happen in Washington? Potential governor Rob McKenna already is responding to people asking that question by insisting he doesn’t support Wisconsin’s approach.

Frustrated with my children’s burdens, I was upset more by reading about the experience of Prof. William Cronan, an economics and history professor at the University of Wisconsin. Paul Krugman reported Cronan researched and published an opinion piece on the work of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that has been operating for 40 years to promote conservative legislation.

Cronan has made two points. Political dialogue in Wisconsin has turned bitter compared to its history of “decent respect” between the parties. He also pointed out ALEC has not experienced a media analysis that would make its role in legislation more transparent. Cronan’s reputation comes from doing excellent research. He is the incoming president of the American Historical Association.

Attacks have begun. Cronan was immediately hit with a freedom of information act on emails on his university computer. Instead of responding to debates, he’s responding to requests for his email trails. 

At 7:00 pm on March 27 a student blogger in journalism at the University of Wisconsin published an editorial supporting Cronan and Krugman. Almost immediately the article began receiving four detailed comments from one person, “Guest,” who promoted conservative responses. His criticisms dealt with side comments in the student’s editorial, but none deal with the transparency and desire for civility preferred by Cronan. Nor does “Guest” deal with the chilling effect of these responses instead of debating them. No one else commented. I checked Guest’s profile, and nothing was revealed. Who is Guest, and where’s the transparency?

My stress swirled toward anger, but I headed it off by petting Haley. We got her recently because pet dogs have a long history of reducing stress in humans, beginning with the late 1800s when they improved socials lives of patients in mental hospitals.

That’s when an idea hit me. Would politically friendly social skills improve if we introduced pet dogs into Congress, governor’s offices and legislatures?  Before debating bills and reading the constitution, leaders would have to pet or walk their dogs for fifteen minutes.

Otherwise, I'll stay committed to writing about decent social behavior under clear skies and walking and petting my dog. Haley loves and socializes easily. She makes me believe is still possible for us to do.