 Dogs need responsible owners Last month, I was driving down Piney Creek Road near Brooken Mountain Road and having a discussion with my wife. Perhaps I wasn't paying as much attention to driving as I should have. Suddenly, something darted into the road, right in front of me. Instinctively, I swerved to avoid it, right into the path of a car coming the opposite direction. (Please click the 'Read more' link below)
I swerved back in the nick of time. It could have been bad, very bad. A large brown dog had run into the road and nearly caused a bad accident. I don't know if this was your dog, Mrs. Pearce, but I suppose it could have been. At the least, it probably belonged to someone who thought, as you say you did, "..he was such a free spirit and we didn't want to keep him latched up all the time." If you don't have a large enough fenced yard, you have no business having a dog. What gives you the right to allow your pet to endanger the lives of others? If you allow your dog to go into the road, you are not only endangering your dog, you're endangering the lives of others - fathers trying to support their families, mothers driving their children to school, someone's grand mother - you get the picture? You're wrong, Mrs. Pearce, when you say, "Leroy was smart enough to know he shouldn't run out into the road." Leroy was a dog. Dogs like to protect their property and chase things. Passers by, whether on foot, on bicycle or in cars, are, in the minds of dogs like Leroy, meant to be chased. I doubt that this was the first car you saw him chase after. Please don't try to pass the responsibility onto your pet. It was not Leroy's fault that his owners didn't show enough responsibility to protect him and others. - Rick Fogle
Watch for upcoming related articles - "Dog Dumping" and on how to build an inexpensive fence that will keep your dogs safe in your yard. Got opinions on these or other topics? Send us a letter or email or post in our forums. - Bill Castello Added May 07 by Bill Castello - Here's a sensible sounding set of rules for dog owners (click link) |
