Dogs on the Loose

If you are a dog lover don't read this. Tend to your dogs instead: Train them, restrain them, kennel them. But don't let them run loose in my neighborhood or backyard--unless you don't mind a beaten dog with fear in his heart and a permanent whimper in his voice. Not that I dislike dogs. Not at all. Any of my friends will tell you that I have been known to pat even big dogs quite affectionately and pet puppies of all kinds. What I dislike is what unleashed dogs do. Their habit of marking their romping trails and leaving a mess for bare feet on a lawn is bad enough. Even worse, they can be a menace. For dogs on the loose are a serious nuisance because they terrorize people, create traffic hazards, and damage gardens.

Although barking dogs may not bite, they can scare you half to death. I don't know which is worse, the little yappers or the big barkers. If you're riding a bicycle the yappers are mostly a nuisance, though they are threatening enough to force you to zigzag dangerously on the street. It is a brave cyclist who can ignore the barker whose flashing teeth are nipping at the handle bars. I have seen school children panic on their bicycles when a barker leaps out at them, forcing them to turn wildly to avoid