An Open Letter to Dog Owners

Hi, I'm your neighbor. You know, the one you see walking every day with my dogs on leash.  While I occasionally deal with them trying to sniff your free-roaming cats or chase a squirrel, they are under my control and we stick to the sidewalks as well as the trails of our local park.

I feel the need to write you this letter because I'm concerned and frankly a bit frustrated.  You see, despite the fact that our city and county have leash laws regarding dogs in public spaces, you are still allowing your dogs to charge off of your property and onto the sidewalk where we are walking.  Your dogs running at me with my leashed dogs is anxiety-provoking.  The fact that you can't get your dogs to come back to you when you call them, makes me even more concerned for my safety, the safety of my leashed dogs, and the safety of your dogs as well.

And when you say, "Don't worry, he's friendly!" that doesn't make it any better.  How do you know my dogs are friendly?  How do you know my dogs won't protect me?  In fact, how do you know I'm friendly? Just kidding! Sort of.  Anyway, your dog being friendly doesn't excuse the inappropriate behavior.  Your dog should not be outside of your house without a leash or tether.  Having them off leash in your garage or on your driveway or in your non-fenced front yard when you know they are territorial AND you know they won't come when you call them away from the city streets and sidewalks is not just un-neighborly, it's against the law.

I, like you, love our neighborhood park.  It's so beautiful, lots of green grass and open space to enjoy.  When you let your dogs run off leash, however, you are making use of that park restricted for the rest of us. See that family with the young kids?  They wanted to throw the ball around but they can't as your dog is running around on that grassy field off leash trying to take their ball, despite the signs that say all dogs must be on leash.  Also, I hate to mention it, but your dogs have now pooped twice while they were running around and you were looking at your phone.  Maybe you missed it? But you need to pick up behind them as that's the law too and those little kids shouldn't have to try to play around the poop on their playground area.

Did I mention that I like to run every day to clear my head?  That's a problem too, I guess, as your off leash dogs have chased me more than once and one of them even bit me.  I know you said you're sorry and that it has never happened before, but I'm still going to carry pepper spray with me from now on.  Next time, I will spray your dogs if they charge at me.  I can't afford to miss work again for a dog bite.

I feel bad that I had to write you this letter, but I felt like it was the neighborly thing to do.  I don't want to have to contact Animal Control about your lack of respect for the law, but I will if it means one more runner isn't chased, one more dog isn't attacked, and one more child isn't bitten.  You are giving dog owners a bad name and making our neighborhood unsafe.

Signed,

Your neighbor

P.S.  I really do love dogs.  They are my life and my livelihood.  I've spent the last 30 years helping pet owners.  So, if you are having a problem with your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

These two good boys are always on leash and they are friendly with dogs, cats and people,

but they don't appreciate being bum-rushed and they get scared when your off leash dogs 

body slam them to the ground.  Collies are gentle spirits, but their owner (me)

 is not going to be gentle when this happens to them again.