As the number of dogs has risen in America – there are more than 73 million owned dogs now – and the number of open spaces has diminished, dogs have become increasingly isolated, even as they become more popular. They are banned from most public spaces and work places and the opportunities to share their lives with us has decreased, there are battles all over the country about restricting dogs even further. And there are some good reasons for this. Most dogs are not trained, many dog owners are not responsible or considerate.

In my town, a local cemetery, – the Woodlands Cemetery – of all places, demonstrates what it can mean to be dog-friendly, and also what it can mean to be a responsible dog owner. Since my heart surgery, I have been walking in this cemetery, it is a gorgeous place, historic, gracious, beautifully and lovingly maintained. So many of the markers and the inscriptions are beautiful and poignant and worth a trip in themselves.

The cemetery welcomes dogs, it is almost shocking to see it. Elizabeth Ross, a local undertaker and blogger and a friend, installed dog clean-up bags – they are always available – and trash cans for dog waste. People walk their dogs there early in the morning and later in the day, we all seem quite scrupulous about cleaning up and supervising our dogs. I am sometimes reminded there of why some people wish to ban dogs – the other day people let their dog defecate right near a new grave and left without cleaning it up. It’s hard for me to even imagine doing that.

But it means a lot to many of us to have a dog-friendly place like this. It’s a safe and contained place to walk a dog, and a beautiful one with rolling hills and paths. I am  reminded again and again that the world cannot become more dog-friendly until more dog lovers take responsibility for them. I see every day that this is often not the case – the number of dog bites in America are up 47 per cent, bites on children are epidemic.

I believe strongly that we need more animals in the world and in our lives – this is partially at the root of my strong feelings about the efforts to ban the carriage horses of New York. Animals belong in our world, we need them, they are healing and they connect us to the natural world. We are broken without them. But I take this to mean responsibility. If we do not train and communicate with them, understand them as animals, not as our personal cuddle-bunnies, then there will be fewer and fewer places like the Woodlands Cemetery. A place that reminds me every day what it means to be dog-friendly.