From: dtrytten@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Deborah Trytten)
Subject: Re: A rough week
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 15:36:36 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
Followup-To: rec.pets.dogs 

In article <1992Nov2.150737.20955@newshost.lanl.gov> crs@beta.lanl.gov (Charlie Sorsby) writes:
>Just a few comments, mostly directed to the original poster but they
>come to mind partly as a result of the followup to which this is a
>followup.  I realize that it is not Rob who is asking the original
>questions.

It was me.  The situation has been resolved.   I stopped by on Monday to
visit the neighbor.  The dog wasn't hurt *at* *all*.   His leg wasn't
broken, just a small chip in a bone.  His name is "Hooter", and he's
absolutely adorable.  He's playful and friendly, much to my
surprise.  I brought a box of milkbones and no note because I couldn't
figure out a way to write it without sounding like a lawyer or a
zealot.   The neighbor wasn't home, but a friend of hers was puppy
sitting.  The friend owned Hooter's sister, who had been killed
by a car the week before. :-(  I meant the neighbor last night while
picking up the mail.  She was very happy with the milkbones and we
had a pleasant conversation.  She said that she would not let him
run again, and, to this point in time, she hasn't.   I decided not to
ask about the vet bills, but I suspect they were lower than I had
originally thought. 

So the grand total here is that the dog is fine, my car is fine,
my nerves are fine, the neighbor is fine, and the neighbor and I
are still speaking.  Not a bad outcome for a situation like this. :-) 

I would like to thank everyone who sent me email for your concern and advice.
My favorite suggestion was to offer to pay all the vet bills if she
would not let the dog run.  I had a check in my pocket when I went to
her apartment, but since she wasn't home and the dog was fine I decided to
keep it there.

>In article <1992Nov2.050247.9746@xyzoom.info.com> rob@xyzoom.info.com (Rob Lingelbach) writes:
>= In article <1992Nov1.180358.17352@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu> dtrytten@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Deborah Trytten) writes:
>= >1.  Drop off a large box of milkbones with a note.
>= >2.  Drop off a large box of milkbones with a note and a check.
>= >3.  Do nothing.

>But be sure that you include the part(s) about it not being your
>fault and why.  Not only that it was in your path before you were
>able to see it but that it shouldn't have been roaming in the first
>place.

When I tried to write a note that said things like this I sounded like
a lawyer.

>I'm sorry if this sounds uncaring but I question the necessity, and
>possibly the wisdom, of *any* gift.  How about just a note urging
>her to be a more responsible dog owner and keep her dog under
>control?  Perhaps also mentioning how badly the accident made *you*
>feel?  My view is that the ball should go back into *her* court
>where it belongs and that *nothing* should even imply that you
>accept any responsibility for the accident.

> lots more naggy suggestions deleted.

There are a lot of days when I'm mighty glad I don't live next
door to some of you net.folks.  Compassion isn't a word that
applies only to non-human animals:  it's OK to be compassionate
to humans too.   In this case, the neighbor is young.  This is
her first dog.  She made a very foolish mistake.  It would be
nice if she were perfect, but she isn't.  She has a lot of company
in that regard, myself included.  By begin concerned and *polite*
to her I have managed to accomplish both getting her to protect her
dog and maintaining a neighborly relationship.   

>As to the description of the pound as a "gruesome place," in what
>way is it gruesome?  Are the animals mistreated?  If so, then
>complaints should be made to the government that runs it.

It's dirty, poorly kept, and the euthanasia rate is 90%+.  Euthanasia
is accomplished by some truly gruesome method that I've blocked out of 
my mind :-(.  Since there are a lot of sick dogs there, people won't
go there to adopt dogs.  And dogs that go there are in danger of
catching some very nasty diseases.

>All resources, including tax dollars, are finite so there's no
>reason to expect the pound to be a resort for stray and roaming
>animals.  Maybe if the woman has to go and reclaim her dog from
>such a gruesome place, it will impress on her the importance of
>keeping the animal under control.

Yup, that's what the problem is:  there is no jacuzzi in the pound.
And I won't drop any dog off at a place that isn't luxurious.
It is amazing how you have extrapolated the fact that I was concerned
about *both* my neighbor and her dog into this last ridiculous
paragraph.  You can be a caring person and still have reasonable 
perception of the difference between a good pound and a gruesome one.
 
As it turns out, this matter is out of my hands.  I spoke with the
apartment manager and she says that any dog found running on the
apartment grounds will be picked up by the staff and immediately taken
to the pound.  Apparently there has been quite a problem with stray
dogs and she has decided to take the bull by the horns.

Deborah Trytten
dtrytten@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu