Dog owners must show respect
I have lived in West Haven all 70 years of my life and have seen many changes, both for the good, and, unfortunately, many for the not-so-good. We are all aware of the financial problems facing our city, but that is not the point of this letter. The point of this letter, my first to the Voice, is people’s attitudes. Where once there was a general feeling of community, of doing the right thing, following the rules, of caring about the feelings of others and respecting other people’s property, there no is, all too often, an attitude of I can do as I please.
We witness this daily when people just leave trash anywhere, even where there is a trash can nearby, or park in a handicapped space just because it’s closer, even when they are not handicapped, running red traffic lights to get there faster, or allowing their dog to use all areas of public parks, beaches, and walkways as their pet’s latrine.
I walk every morning along the boardwalk and to the “Walk of Honor” at Bradley Point. I must say most pet owners control their pets and pick up after them, but, given the ever presence of dog feces on walk walkways, some obviously don’t.
On New Year’s Day morning I was walking along the area of the “Walk of Honor,” where the bricks are laid to memorialize West Haven individuals and their service to our country. To my dismay about 10 yards in front of me was a large dog on a leash with the woman owner allowing the dog to urinate on the memorial bricks.
I had to speak up and tell her, “That is so wrong. Those are memorials to brave people, and you are allowing your dog to piss on their memorial.”
I got no response from the woman. What is wrong with people? This showed a complete lack of respect for our brave men and women who served our country. Responsible dog owners should also be appalled by these actions. I can’t blame the dog, but I sure do blame the owner.
I hope others, especially dog owners that read this letter, will respect the public’s rights and act appropriately. If not, maybe we need to prohibit dogs from some areas. I personally like dogs, always had one as a kid, but times have changed and owners are now held responsible for the actions of their pets.
Tom Jaqua