Animal Control
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
On May 10, I watched helplessly as two large dogs came into my yard and ripped apart my 8-month-old kitten. As I ran to her hoping to save her, my only thought was that I had seen these animals loose before, and knew they lived nearby. When I got to her, my kitten was already dead ... but one of the dogs was coming back while I knelt beside her. It came after me, bloody fangs aimed at my upper body. I picked up a stick to try to defend myself, while the dog succeeded at getting within a foot of my throat before I could shove it away. When I confronted the owners I was told, “They’re dogs, [expletive]. It’s natural and that’s what they do.”
While I dialed the police, the adults involved immediately tried to drive away before I could describe them; I found out later that this has happened at least twice to my next-door neighbor, and all of these incidents are on police record. The fact that these people express neither remorse nor any form of responsibility means events will only escalate until a human is injured or killed.
I live on Arthur Street, across from Pike Lake, and just a few houses down from these dog owners over on Cook Street. I can sit at my window and watch 100 people travel past in a day; biking, jogging or walking their own pets. Goslings and ducklings abound, all making easy targets for these dogs the next time they escape, with any number of nearby people at risk from them. Perhaps it will be Oakwood Cemetery, where people go to grieve for their loved ones; Hire Park, the BMX racetrack directly behind these people’s land; or even Beyer Park, the children’s playground even closer to these animals than my house.
Warsaw Animal Control seems unable to do anything to keep these animals from threatening the public. I’ve come to understand that until the animals succeed at tearing into a human, the best that can be done is get compensation for the owners who have lost their pets. Legally, there are fines for the animals escaping (leash laws) and rules requiring the owners to prove the canines are up to date on shots before they can receive their animals back from animal control. To my knowledge, none of these steps have occurred.
Owning a pet is a privilege, not a right. When accountability is not taken it doesn’t just hurt the victim of the attack, it is detrimental to the welfare of the animals as well. The pets themselves deserve better than to have an irresponsible owner who would allow them to escape several times and cause injury to others or themselves be injured. Because it has been proven on multiple occasions these owners are not living up to their duties, it is time for the city to step up and do what we pay them our tax dollars to do: Protect and Serve.
Danielle Abshire
Warsaw, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
On May 10, I watched helplessly as two large dogs came into my yard and ripped apart my 8-month-old kitten. As I ran to her hoping to save her, my only thought was that I had seen these animals loose before, and knew they lived nearby. When I got to her, my kitten was already dead ... but one of the dogs was coming back while I knelt beside her. It came after me, bloody fangs aimed at my upper body. I picked up a stick to try to defend myself, while the dog succeeded at getting within a foot of my throat before I could shove it away. When I confronted the owners I was told, “They’re dogs, [expletive]. It’s natural and that’s what they do.”
While I dialed the police, the adults involved immediately tried to drive away before I could describe them; I found out later that this has happened at least twice to my next-door neighbor, and all of these incidents are on police record. The fact that these people express neither remorse nor any form of responsibility means events will only escalate until a human is injured or killed.
I live on Arthur Street, across from Pike Lake, and just a few houses down from these dog owners over on Cook Street. I can sit at my window and watch 100 people travel past in a day; biking, jogging or walking their own pets. Goslings and ducklings abound, all making easy targets for these dogs the next time they escape, with any number of nearby people at risk from them. Perhaps it will be Oakwood Cemetery, where people go to grieve for their loved ones; Hire Park, the BMX racetrack directly behind these people’s land; or even Beyer Park, the children’s playground even closer to these animals than my house.
Warsaw Animal Control seems unable to do anything to keep these animals from threatening the public. I’ve come to understand that until the animals succeed at tearing into a human, the best that can be done is get compensation for the owners who have lost their pets. Legally, there are fines for the animals escaping (leash laws) and rules requiring the owners to prove the canines are up to date on shots before they can receive their animals back from animal control. To my knowledge, none of these steps have occurred.
Owning a pet is a privilege, not a right. When accountability is not taken it doesn’t just hurt the victim of the attack, it is detrimental to the welfare of the animals as well. The pets themselves deserve better than to have an irresponsible owner who would allow them to escape several times and cause injury to others or themselves be injured. Because it has been proven on multiple occasions these owners are not living up to their duties, it is time for the city to step up and do what we pay them our tax dollars to do: Protect and Serve.
Danielle Abshire
Warsaw, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
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