If you love your dog, you should follow leash laws. Your dog should always be under your control — on a leash, fenced in your yard, contained in an invisible fence, or secured on a tie-out. Beeper and shock collars don’t count. The two uncontrolled dogs that chased us during a walk and bit my sweet, leashed rescue dog were wearing beeper collars. Controlling your animal is the right thing to do for your dog and mine, plus it’s the law. If you love your dog, you don’t want it hit by a car, wandering around lost, stolen, or attacked by other dogs.
If you respect your neighbors, you should follow the leash rules at our local beaches and trails. I don’t care that your dog is “friendly” or has “good recall” when it charges me on Cliff Trail during on-leash hours. It’s scary. It’s unfair. What if my leashed dog is not friendly and is bombarded by your uncontrolled animal? If you love your dog, you shouldn’t put them in harm’s way.
If you care about our beautiful town and wildlife or have any decency whatsoever, you should pick up your dog poop. No, dog poop doesn’t just safely biodegrade — the bacteria wash downstream into our ocean, polluting the beaches, shorelines and ecosystems. Don’t bag up your poop and leave it on the beach or road for others to collect. Don’t want to pick up poop? Don’t own a dog. Having a dog is a privilege, not a right.
Careless or perhaps ill-informed dog owners make Harpswell a stressful and dangerous place for responsible dog owners and all of our neighbors. Our community needs to do better.
Liza Rowland, Bailey Island
