Dear Editor,
In response to: ‘Village Council: ‘Pit bulls: We need to address this immediately,?? The Citizen, page 1, Aug. 1.)
My advice to the village council: be careful to punish the deed, not breed.
I’m not going to take it anymore. I’m tired of being punished and harassed because of irresponsible and just plain stupid dog owners. I’m referring to two dog owners profiled in the story’the ones with bully-breed dogs (the term ‘pit-bull? does not refer to one specific breed, rather to a collection of some 20 breeds like English bulldogs, mastiffs, rottweilers, boxers) who think it’s OK to let them run around their neighborhood off leash. It’s not right, period. If there’s a leash law, abide by it. If they can’t even do that, one has to wonder what other rules they ignore (licensed, vaccinated?) All dogs have the potential to be a nuisance.
When I moved from Royal Oak to Groveland Township four years ago, I noticed everyone lets their dogs run free because ‘we live in the country and that’s what dogs do.?
Wrong answer.
Most places have leash laws, so if you let your dog run around and it causes a problem, I expect municipalities to enforce their own rules. I’m outraged the Village of Ortonville issued three tickets in one month to one of the dog owners! Come on! Three strikes and you’re out! Time to take the dog away! I don’t think these people should have a goldfish. I also work in the media, so I feel my industry has played a big part in fueling the controversy surrounding bully dogs. I’m working very hard to change that.
Please, punish the misdeeds of dog owners, not a specific breed of dog.
Hope M. Ponsart, Groveland Township