I heard about these weird devices called the mosquito. They're supposed to emit a high-pitched sound that is irritating to teenagers, but the rest of us have had our hearing naturally degrade so we don't even notice. I thought it was kinda weird, and if I were a teenager, I'd probably feel offended that some store owners were choosing to repel me like some kind of unwanted rodent, but never really gave it any thought. Now I hear that somebody in Guelph has chosen to install one of these, but is too cowardly to admit who they are. There's something about that whole thing that seems wrong. If teens are such a problem for you that you went and spent money installing a device to keep them away, you might as well stand up and say who you are. Plus, they're going to figure it out when it starts squealing.
But I got thinking. If this sound is painful or annoying to teenagers, what will it do to dogs' ears? If it is extremely distracting to my dog, could it end up being dangerous for me? If it's in an alley near an intersection, will the sound reach Trix's ears while we're trying to cross nearby?
Hell, what will it do to me, and other people whose hearing is more sensitive? I notice high-pitched noises more than your average bear.
And they keep saying that really, they're not trying to stop teens, they're trying to stop loitering. Well, I've got news for ya. Have you ever walked around downtown Guelph and noticed how many adults hang about aimlessly there? Is it going to stop the weird Italian guy who hangs around down there yelling "Free Pizza?" I don't think so. Something tells me his hearing has sufficiently degraded. I've heard that his teeth have. Is it going to stop the fully-grown dude who came up to me after I bought something from the LCBO, chased me down the street, constantly insisting that that bag was tooo heavy for me, let me carry it? I don't think so. He creeped me out so much that I took a cab home...which was two blocks away at the time.
Don't get me wrong, I feel pretty safe in Guelph. But what I'm trying to say is I'm afraid this sonic teen-repellent thing may not solve the problem, and have unintended consequences for completely innocent people that don't fit the demographic. Plus, it might discriminate against completely innocent teens too!
3 weeks ago
2 comments:
Hey Carin, couldn't sleep and stopped by to see what you've been up to. I can't remember the exact level of the tone the "Mosquito" emits but when it first came into use in this area, I googled it to find out. Then I downloaded some ringtones to my phone that were supposedly audible to only teenagers so I could test the Mosquito sounds on my dogs. I downloaded a wide range so I could see what I can hear and what the dogs can hear that I can't. There were quite a few that really distracted the dogs and some that were closer to my hearing level that simply caught their attention. I actually still use one of those as a "silent" ringtone and set it for all calls that aren't from family when I'm napping because Paxil will hear that ringtone and bring the phone to me. It's way less jarring than being awakened by my usual ringtone. I never tried playing the super high tones while I was working with Paxil on obedience or any new tasks but I think you might be right to question whether that steady tone would affect Trixie's performance. The good thing is that she is well-trained and acclimated to distractions to the extent that she might be annoyed or distracted the first, second, and maybe third time you pass a business blaring that tone but she will become accustomed to it fast. If it really worries you, as soon as you find out who is using the Mosquito, take her down there and do some obedience with her near the sound so she will recognize it as a non-threat if you ever need her to guide you past it. The really good thing is that you will probably hear it too - I can't, I've tried - so you will at least have a clue why she is acting up if it does bother her. I don't put my life in Paxil's (paws) so I don't have the same worries as you but I wouldn't have a clue why she was swinging her head around or acting strangely because I can't hear the tone. And it does seem silly that the businesses using the device won't step up and claim it. Do they think the teens will be immune to the noise if they know it's there? It's either annoying to them or it isn't. It was fascinating to see which of my phone tones the dogs and small children could hear that I couldn't, and the change was obvious from child to teen and teen to adult. The dogs hear everything, of course.
Glad I'm not flat out insane. I listened to something supposed to be the one for our hearing range, but I could barely hear it and Trix didn't move. I have this feeling that something got lost in translation when they put it on YouTube. the downloadable link for the teen one was broken, so not very convincing.
I wish I knew who was doing it, and whether they were only doing it late at night or what.
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