The word this week is from town, rather than out on the range.
We who live in the country take our freedom for granted. Most of my life has been spent in the country, but we did live in town for several years and experienced the restrictions that are just common sense. I have always had dogs, and teaching them to walk on a leash when they were used to being free was a chore, but we did it. When walking my dog, I learned quickly which routes to avoid because of an aggressive canine in a yard. They were probably just protecting their territory and I didn’t feel we had the right to upset them, so we went another way or crossed the street before coming to that block. Our back yard had a high fence so our dog could be loose there. One time, apparently the meter reader left the gate open and I let Shadow out as usual. I had no idea she was missing until the neighbor called to tell me she was sitting on the front porch. The dog was lucky, and so were we; she had evidently just come around the house and waited to be let in. These things can happen, but it’s not unusual to see a dog running loose in town, likely not by accident. I’m always scared for the dog and irritated with the owner, whom I deem irresponsible.
One of my friends is blind but she’s extremely independent, thanks to her leader dog, Willi. Alliance residents are familiar with seeing Willi and her owner stepping briskly along to do business downtown. No matter the weather, they are out and about daily because Willi needs exercise to keep in shape. Some things you need to know about leader dogs, especially if you are a dog lover. Don’t ask the dog’s name when it is working. The use of the name precedes a command and the animal shouldn’t be distracted. Same with asking to pet the dog. He/she is working. You wouldn’t go up to the receptionist at an office and start a conversation about the football game, after all, she’s at work.
Twice this year, Willi has been attacked by unrestrained dogs. Once, a dog jumped out of a farm pickup. I know, most farmers or ranchers don’t think twice about taking their dog to town; it rides in the pickup bed and behaves. Except when it doesn’t. Our dog likes to go to town too, but she rides inside.
Recently, Willi was attacked by a loose pit bull. Imagine this for a moment: the animal that represents your freedom is howling and crying and there’s a fight going on, but you can’t see what’s happening. Terror doesn’t even come close to describing the emotion you feel, but you manage to grab the other dog’s collar and restrain it until help comes, meanwhile, your best friend is shaking and whining and you can’t even tell how badly she’s hurt. Luckily, both times, Willi escaped major injuries, but she’s traumatized now, and it’s hard for her to concentrate on her job for fear of another incident. The daughter of Willi’s owner admits to occasionally letting her own dog off leash when she thinks nothing can happen. She also says that needs to stop NOW.
A leader dog is an extension of the person it helps, and represents that person’s freedom and independence. Please love your dog and your neighbor enough to obey the leash laws.