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Dear Editor,

I have been a member of the Johnson City community for the past five years. I love working here, I love this town and I also love that I can leisurely take a walk, go for a run or a bike ride with my family. Over the past year I have noticed more and more unrestrained dogs when we are trying to enjoy these events. Just these past few weeks alone, there have been a total of 5 unrestrained dogs that have chased us while we were either biking or running. Actually, one day comes to mind when we were bike riding where several dogs, from several different owners, came out after us, barking, growling, and nipping, as we were riding past. My wife was attacked by a dog when she was a child, so this was a pretty frightening experience for her, as you can imagine. This was also extremely bothersome to me because I have a 5year old daughter. A determined dog can do a lot of damage to a young child.

I realize many of these dogs may be harmless and just want to chase, or play, but it just takes one instance and one dog to dart out, attack a young child, leaving a physical and emotional scar that is damaging for a lifetime. We all hear about these incidences on the news constantly...Some child or adult gets bitten and/or mangled by a loose unrestrained dog, the dog gets put down, the owner is reprimanded, and the victim is injured severely, or worse, killed.

Why not be proactive as a community and just abide by and enforce what our law already says we are supposed to do? There is a leash law in Johnson City, so let’s just keep our dogs on a leash or safely in the house or backyard. We have a Dachshund and he stays either in the house or in the back yard. If he ever does get loose, you can bet that I am immediately chasing him around the neighborhood until he is captured. Now, mind you, he is a pretty harmless dog, but it is a matter of principles.

Now tell me, what is the correct thing to do in this situation?

If a dog comes out, catches me, or my wife off guard, do we wait and let him bite us and let the owner pay the consequences? Or does the poor dog pay the consequences because we have to defend ourselves from being attacked? These are the unfortunate decisions that will be made if we are caught off guard again. All because an irresponsible dog owner did not protect his pet or the community by obeying the leash law.

Part of the decision when becoming a dog owner is taking responsibility for your dog. That means doing what is right for the safety of the dog, as well as the safety of the people that may come in contact with the dog. All that is being asked is that there is a reminder to the community of this leash law. And, if this law is not honored, that law enforcement will be contacted. Let’s work together to keep our community and our dogs safe.

Thank you for getting your animals spayed or neutered.

Sincerely, Tim Jung