Bossert, however, says he supports the leash law because dogs could otherwise be run over by cars.

"We go out to the country [to run freely]," Bossert says. "Dog's can't run loose here; they'll get run over."

But Young feels dogs do not need to run free because they are trained animals.

"I would not like to have a dog who wasn't under control; they're not wild animals," he says. "Dogs don't really need to be raced about."

Councillor William H. Walsh says he has fought for a long time to support the rights of dogs.

"I have been a proponent of allowing dogs to run free," Walsh says. "[The councillors who tried to close Fresh Pond Park to dogs] were claiming feces was going into the pond, but these occurrences were few and far between."

E. Alfred Vellucci, former mayor of Cambridge, says that if current leaders of Cambridge were not "politicians," they would establish more dog-friendly areas.

"I don't think I heard anyone talk about dogs," he says, "but if they were not politicians they would. There should be a park in Cambridge called the 'Doggie Park' because dogs need exercise."

A Tutor's Best Friend

But Young added that he does not confide in Tizzie like other dog owners do.

"I don't trust her," Young says. "When you start confiding in an animal, that's a sign of craziness."

And Young says Tizzie is an even more discriminating connoisseur than the average Harvard student. Tizzy refuses to eat food from the Harvard Union dining hall and prefers certain "gourmet" treats.

"She takes her pills in roast beef," Young says. "She prefers Barsamian's roast beef, but she will eat Sage's. Super-market roast beef she's not particularly fond of."

And just like students, Tizzy enjoys spending her free time on Cape Cod, where he has a home, Young says.

"She is very anxious to get into the car when she knows we're going to the Cape," Young says. "She knows where her water bowl is there, and she knows the limits to the land."