To The Editor:
I read with interest the dog issue of The Valley Reporter (January 7, 2012). A few things caught my attention more than others: Viruses affecting dogs (and cats), dogs being adopted from Iraq, working dogs, the huge number of dogs in shelters in the U.S. (600,000) and many dog rescue organizations. It’s a big business.
I was glad to see the short article about the Mad River Path and Dogs reminding dog owners to pick up their dogs’ poop and that trouble arises when dogs are not leashed. But more could have been said about dog owner responsibilities.
All five towns in the Mad River Valley have dog ordinances. Standard requirements are: all dogs must be registered with the town, have a collar with tags attached; dogs cannot be running at large (i.e. must be leashed or, in some cases, if not leashed, under the control of the owner at all times); must not disturb the peace; picking up of poop; and confining a dog in heat, to name some.
One impact of dogs that was not mentioned was how dogs (and cats) detrimentally affect wildlife. The impacts are too many to mention here, but a few are: chasing and sapping energy from wild animals which they need to survive, and sometimes killing them; disrupting ground nesting birds such as the hermit thrush, our state bird, and ruffed grouse; and, generally, wildlife being pushed out of their natural habitat by the presence of dogs.
It seems that the dog population in The Valley is growing incredibly fast. I hope we all take responsibility to minimize their detrimental impacts and appreciate their positive impacts.
Richard Czaplinski
Warren
