Kate Simmons: 'A dog is more than a fashion accessory' – GazetteNET

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I feel so fortunate to live in Florence, largely due to the bike path’s proximity to my home. For the past 11 years, I have been able to walk my dog twice a day on that bike path, where we have both enjoyed the exercise as well as our encounters with other walkers and their dogs.
But we were not so fortunate on May 10. On that day, my 15-pound, 13-year-old rescue dog Romeo was attacked by a pit bull on the bike path. Three days later, after spending $2,500 at the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital in South Deerfield in an attempt to save Romeo’s life, he succumbed to his injuries.
At the time of the attack, the pit bull’s owner had not been fully aware of what was going on with her dog; she was engrossed in a cellphone conversation. Therein lays the problem; it can be difficult to anticipate any dog’s reaction to another dog (or to a small, quick-moving child) and so it is imperative that dog owners be fully aware of their dogs’ tendencies and breed proclivities at all times when in public.
I am begging dog owners to be cognizant of their dogs’ temperaments in a realistic and community-oriented manner. A dog is more than a fashion accessory; it can easily become a lethal weapon. It is each dog owner’s responsibility that their dog be fully under their control so that everyone (be they canine or human) can enjoy their time on the bike path.
Kate Simmons
Florence
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