Yet another dog roaming the Hood!

Folks – there is another dog roaming the neighborhood … mostly black Shepherd with white markings and appears to have a collar. She came charging at me and my dog tonight around 720 pm while we were running laps at Stivers track and I had to use a great deal of restraint to keep my dog from going into full defensive/protective mode. No owner in sight. I was pulling back on the leash so hard I was afraid I would hurt my own dog so I took her back home – ending her exercise for the day and ruining my stress relief. I run to relieve stress and because my job requires a high level of physical fitness – I have grown to love running and I’m currently training for my third marathon this year. My dog is both my running companion and protector.
Initially I thought the loose dog belonged to a resident on Dutoit and I confronted a woman I saw later walking a shaky black and white dog – she calmly allowed me to vent and I realized she was a responsible dog owner as I ran into the stray again 10 minutes later again on Dutoit Street. This time without my dog, the stray ran away from me and seemed to avoid people in general and disappeared into a nearby yard but it must have been running loose for at least 40 minutes.

If folks let their dogs run around Stivers field, they should be nearby to leash their animal, should other people particularly with pets want to use the public space also.
Why? Liability, Safety and Responsibility.
Who is liable if there is an altercation between dogs – one is leashed and the owner is trying to control and the other is not?
What are the safety risks to a dog running loose in the streets of Dayton with Dayton drivers – who is really going to lose?
What are the safety risks to other dogs and people if two dogs get in a fight?
What is the responsible thing to do in public locales where children play (do they want to play football or soccer in dog feces when owners aren’t there to clean it up?), where people walk or jog their dogs (do they really want to interact with your dog - even if you think your dog is gentle – other dogs and people may not know or think so) and where is the well-being of the individual dog (how many dogs off leash really “come” when the owner calls them – does the dog know to avoid traffic? )

Forgive me for rambling on but I am very passionate about animals. I don’t like having to call animal control as I suspect some of the dogs I’ve been seeing run loose really are attached but then one must wonder if the owners really care if they allow their dogs to be at needless risk – so perhaps a divorce is the best thing … as my husband reminded me we found our girl at the South West Ohio Doberman Rescue after she was saved from a kill shelter – picked up off the streets of Louisville as a pup … no doubt from someone who didn’t care much.

Patricia Latham