Neighbor Dog Troubles

I find it necessary to record occurrences here of the neighbor's dogs being let loose.

From within their house or in their fenced yard these dogs bark at anyone that passes within four houses away. It is understandable. They are dogs. That is what dogs do.

But, their owner Terry Godwin, let's them out when she leaves the house for small errands, such as getting something from her car or greeting visitors to her house or walking over to a neighbors. She leaves the door open so the dogs bolt.

This happens frequently, several times a week. I hadn't bothered to keep track until today. There is a lady who walks her two dogs on leashes daily. Today, Terry's dogs charged out the door and went after them. It is not the first time this has happened.

What made today different was that the lady with the leashed dogs was all the way up to the corner of the street when Terry's dogs went charging after the lady and her dogs. Of course she could not run away, while Terry's dogs attacked.

I should mention that the lady's dogs do no barking or growling at Terry's dogs.

While Terry's dogs are running out the door and past her and up the street where the lady with the leashed dogs was located, she says,

"Come back here. Come back here... I don't know how they got out."

Mind you, she says the very same thing every time her dogs go out the open door. She makes no effort to prevent their escape in the first place. She simply walks after them shouting "Come back here." Sometimes they go back. Sometimes they don't. When they don't go back other people in the neighborhood, or people who have come to visit will help to chase them down.

Today, I feared not only for the well being of all four dogs involved, but also for the lady who walks her dogs on leashes.

By the time Terry's dogs got to the lady with the leashed dogs I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. By the time I got to the corner, Terry encouraged her dogs to go home and was walking with them. I saw the lady with the leashed dogs hiding behind a truck parked in the driveway two houses from the corner.

I asked the lady if she was alright, if her dogs were alright. She repeatedly said, "Everything's alright." So, I turned and started on my way back home.

It was then that I saw Terry pick up her bigger dog, Baby, I think the name is, and carry her over to where the lady with the leashed dogs was. I couldn't see what happened as they were behind the truck(s), but I could hear the dogs barking and screeching.

I started back over there, when Terry came back with her dog and told me to mind my own business.

I feel this is my business. I don't want to have to witness this anymore. It has happened similarly before where Terry has had to get her loose dogs away from someones leashed dogs.

It is my understanding that dogs should not be running loose, even in their own neighborhood. It is my understanding that dogs should be on leashes when outside of their homes, or fenced if they are in their yards.

It is my understanding that dogs can be trained.

It is my understanding that dog owners are responsible for what their dogs do. 

What bothers me most about this is that those dogs are innocent bystanders here. They may bite someone at some time. If so, the ordinances here in Watsonville state that the dogs would be taken away and put down. If Terry would take more responsibility for her dogs, she may never have to face having her loved ones taken away from her.

Wednesday April 6, 2011