Evening star., 1959-02-14
On lettering Fido'

llIleLleIlI OI QOBS, y. James
Toole purports to be the
spokesman for the home
owners of Montgomery Coun-'
ty. but he is definitely not
speaking for me. Obviously,
as a dog owner, he's afraid.
his OK is about to be gored.
and that's the net effect Of
his plea as far as I'm con-
cerned.
AS a .homeowner Of over
eight years in Montgomery
County. in two locations We
have been constantly plagued
by dogs of these responsible
dog owners" Mr.. Toole talks
about. Some of these peo-
pie are good neighbors-if
one is willing to overlook the
dog. I haven't seen fit to in
vest in a 6-foot fence. which
is probably. the minimum
height that would bar our
neighbor's Irish setter, for
example: therefore our yard
Is forever Uttered and un-
healthful for our child to
play in. To me the greatest
reason for having a home
and a yard, as against. an
apartment. is to be able to
breathe a little fresh air and.
to have a place. of your own
for outdoor relaxation and
childrens play. But this
dream was dashed shortly
after moving into Montgom-
cry County.
1t is unreasonable and UNI
workable to depend on the
approach suggested by Mr..
Toole, i.e., complain to police
after the animal has been
destructive or vicious (Which
may be entirely too late),
then confine the animal or
fine the owner, etc. OBJ
viously, this would provide
no solution to the present
nuisance and danger. All he
Is really saying is: Let the
police worry about it and let
the dogs continue TO run
loose, until the owner gets a
pang Of conscience (or a flne)
and decides in his own good
time to do something about
it-temporarily."
w. A. NJ,
~ "
Recently in a discussion on
new laws contemplated for
Montgomery County requir-
ing dogs to be leashed at all
times when not on their own
property, the editor Of a pa
per remarked that mo dogs
were available for comment"
This encourages me to sub
NIT the following from a
member of the canine family:
Il am collie and due to
no fault Of my own l have
no fixed address and belong
to a. whole. neighborhood. i
love people. I walk home on
dark winter evenings with
one friend after she has
closed her shop. I stay with
a friend when her husband is
out of town. A little girl who
lost her vision would love to
have me visit her so we could
romp on the floor and she
would run her fingers over
my coat. l play with children
when they are out Of school
every day. When doggie
: friends of mine go for walks
with their. owners, I trot
along too-they love to have
me. People are very kind sup
plying my needs-there is
always food for me. One
friend bought me a new bright
red collar for Christmas. An
other supplied my tag and
took me for shots. Some
times friends have put me in
their yards with their pets,
but. get the feeling of don't
fence me in and so far there
is no fence ! cannot jump.
My fur is so thick l prefer
being out Of doors and have
my favorite garages if the
barometer is falling, but on
extreme nights there are
homes where ]. sleep in the
front hall. My visits in homes
are brief and l shake hands
and depart. People are my
friends and just cannot be-
lieve that they would destroy
me because 1 cannot be on
a leash.
Il have been at large for
several years and l am told
the lawns and shrubbery in
our neighborhood look pretty
good"
We are all against deStruc-
ton of property and vicious
animals roaming at large, but.
may l say there are delin-
quents in all classes of soci-
ETY., animals included. But
why should all be deprived of
privileges that they do not
abuse for the sake Of O few?
Neighbors who want nei-