Sir,

I am a dog lover with two dogs living with our family inside our house. Dogs do love to have their freedom but there are many reasons why it is best to keep your best friend leashed, even when you don’t have to.

Loose dogs, even well-trained ones, may find themselves in the street, driveway or parking lot and accidentally get hit.

And all dogs have the possibility of biting. If your dog is loose and gets scared or upset (maybe a kid grabs him from behind), you could be facing a very tough situation. Remember the recent Rottweiler attack on a four-year-old boy at his house in Dattagalli? So keeping your dog on leash gives you more control to prevent bites from happening.

Of late, me and my family’s leisure morning walks have turned into nightmares as most of the dog walkers and owners do not have the basic civility to leash their dogs. These leash-free dogs have become a nuisance to the morning and evening walkers and other dog owners who have their pets on a leash.

I understand the love for animals but we should also respect others’ fear of it. To add to this, some so-called dog-lovers feed stray dogs on the streets and as a result we now have a pack of unvaccinated rabid dogs attacking kids in parks and roads when they are cycling or playing. If they love the dogs so much they should adopt and care for it.

The picture alongside shows a man walking with two of his dogs, both off leash and a very aggressive breed. I think they are either Dobermans or Rottweilers which are very dangerous.

I request the authorities concerned to please look into these issues and address them before we have another Rottweiler incident. I also request SOM to share the phone numbers of officials where citizens can call and inform about such menace by both pet and stray dogs.

Keep your dog safe by keeping him on leash. Your city dog may not be used to being in the “great outdoors.”

– A concerned dog-lover, Mysuru, 20.9.201

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