Editor:
I love living in Sweet Home. I am a proud member of this community and care about it.
I have lived here for my whole life, 10 years and 3 months. I have noticed a problem here in Sweet Home that I would like to talk about.
In Sweet Home there are a lot of dogs that are running loose. Most of them have owners, but these owners are not keeping their dogs from running loose properly. This is a problem.
Many of the dogs are running loose on or near streets. They can get hurt or killed by cars or cause traffic accidents. Sometimes, when dogs are frightened or in unfamiliar places, they may bite people or other animals, even if they are normally nice.
And some dogs can get very sick, and the sickness could also affect humans. This is very dangerous for both dogs and humans. In my neighborhood several pet cats were killed by dogs that got loose.
I see stray dogs on the street in my town almost every day when I go driving. Our Police Department can be called to pick up stray dogs until they can find their owners. My mom has seen many times online when the Police Department will say that their kennels are full of stray dogs and they can’t take any more until some of them get picked up by their owners.
Many of the dogs do not have tags, so the police have to post pictures and hope the owners will contact them to find their dogs. Sometimes people have to try to find owners on their own because the police can’t take more dogs.
I think people need to be responsible if they want to have a pet. Sometimes dogs can get out or loose but it seems this happens too much in Sweet Home. I think people need to think more about how to protect their pets and protect others from their pets.
Everyone should have to put tags on their dog with their address and phone number so they can get their dogs back if they are lost. If you take your dog in public, then you should keep them on a leash so they don’t run away.
If your dog gets loose, you need to take steps so it doesn’t happen again. People should be fined if their dogs are running loose in public. I think a fine would make people more mindful of where their dog is.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Please consider my concerns and my ideas to make our community a better place.
Talitha Watkins
Sweet Home