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Dear Yvette,

Can you please ask dog owners to do something about their barking dogs? It can be like having a car alarm going off every two minutes. Frankly, talking to some of these pet owners is not helpful. Near our home we have a person with two so-called guard dogs and a violent owner. Children pass by that home as they go to school. It's not right or safe.

Name withheld

No, this is not right. I touched on this call in last week's column. And first let me say that not all dog owners are barbaric or violent. But yes, some can be. The same way I suppose that some people who party through the night can be unapproachable.

Now I'm not going to even suggest that you speak to this person, because you have very clearly stated that this person is violent. I suppose one could speak to the local police. But I do know that some people are terrified to even take that step. It comes down to the, “He'll know it was me who called.” Sorry. I know it's a cop out answer. But I really have very few suggestions to make.

But you did ask me to make a point to dog owners in general. That I can do.

Having a dog is more than a right. It is a responsibility. I do understand that often a problem falls into the category of degree. There is an enormous difference between an occasional bark and continuous levels of noise. For example, some dogs bark a couple times when someone comes to the door. Other dogs bark all day outside in the yard. Again, that is not unlike the difference between occasional indoor get together versus an outdoor drunken brawl.

Regarding the dog matter, both are barking issues. But they vary in degree and in the impact they have on neighbours. Dogs that are left alone to their devices to fence fight and charge little children are a menace. It does no good to blame the dog when the owner leaves the animal to their own devices. Of course problems ensue. And those unsupervised outdoor dogs often upset neighbours.

Those outdoor dogs are often a safety hazard. Dogs that charge fences and “guard” are often the dogs that attack a passing child. For the record, I do not think that the average home needs an attack dog, let alone an unsupervised and poorly trained one. If you need protection, get an alarm system.

So I can of course ask dog owners to please be considerate. But I'm not sure that those who offend are the type to read my column. But just in case some are, let me be clear.

When dog owners act badly, it affects those around them.

I suppose if one really wanted to do something, then you could write to the politicians who represent you. How does it feel knowing that these guard dogs are in your community acting as an accident waiting to happen? Terrifying. We need laws that are reasonable and effective. The year old Dog Owner's Liability Act sure doesn't seem to be working from where I am sitting. Maybe we need to look at eliminating backyard dogs, enforcing leash laws and eliminating dogs as weapons? Just a thought in case some politicians are listening.

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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