Letter: tag your dog

On Nov. 4 at around 7 a.m., I was unfortunate to witness a dog get hit on the highway by the Dayton Depot. It was an unavoidable happening. I was about three or four cars back and could see the dog coming from the fields behind the Depot, and he was running hell bent for election. The first car missed him but the car in the left lane couldn't avoid him.

Needless to say, the young lady was devastated. I stopped and went to the dog and he was just sitting there stunned and bleeding from the mouth. I called 911 but just as I was, a fireman arrived and pulled into the lane to stop traffic from doing any more harm. I know this is not a pleasant way to start a letter, but this is the second time in a week I have encountered dogs without tags!

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, the other encounter turned out more favorable as we were (through the animal control) able to find the owner. That dog had been missing for several days. He was blind and was about three miles from home. No tags! There were five more dogs at the home.

You people out there that don't tag your dogs and keep them in yards don't deserve to have pets. I have great doubts as to the survival of the poor dog that was hit, and my heart goes out to the young lady involved as I'm sure that she, as I, have not been able to get it out of my mind. I feel sorry for the dog, and I guess someone somewhere is without their beloved pet because of their negligence. God forbid that they should be allowed another one that they will not tag or keep in their yard.

My dog is kept on three fenced acres, has three tags with her name, address, and a neighbor's number and the vet's number. She never leaves the yard without us, and I would be devastated if anything happened to her. I suppose everyone says, "Oh well, that won't happen to my dog," but you never know. So why not get smart and tag your dogs and make sure that the fence is intact and the gate closed so you won't have to go through the loss of a loved companion.

SHIRLEY CHANDLER

Dayton