When dog (owners) go bad

We have a pack of vicious dogs roaming our 'hood. It's been on the news, in the papers, and is the subject of numerous neighborhood crime-watch emails. Our City Councilperson has intervened to ensure that the 911 operators give calls about the dogs in our area priority, and an Animal Control Officer has given us her cell phone number. They are blanketing the area with extra officers.

The pack is responsible for at least 20 cat deaths. They chased a neighbor who was riding a bicycle, causing her to run into one of them, fall off her bike, and fracture her pelvis. She was not attacked by the dogs afterward because a neighbor ran out to help.

One day soon, and I hope before a child is injured or killed, these dogs will be caught. And then, they will have to be put down. I know it has to be done, but I wish the dog owners could be euthanized with them.

You know I love dogs. I also believe that there is no such thing as a "bad" dog, only bad dog owners. We would not have the problem of vicious dogs if all of the dog owners in the area were responsible people with more than two working brain cells.

They don't spay and neuter their dogs, and they allow the animals to run loose. What happens when unspayed and unneutered dogs who are roaming the 'hood find each other? They breed. Duh. And they and their offspring form packs because they are pack animals. Duh. What do pack animals do? They hunt. Duh.

That's only part of the problem. In some parts of the 'hood, there are crack houses. The dimwits who run these places think it's cool to have pitbulls "protect" the premises. They will mistreat and tease these animals to make them act mean because it's, you know, more macho. (Newsflash: having a vicious-looking dog does not make your dick bigger, dumbass.)

These owners don't take their animals to the vet for rabies vaccinations, either. Rabies is still at epidemic levels in Texas - not so much from dogs, but skunks. But all it takes is for a stray dog to chase and be bitten by a rabid skunk. Fortunately, there aren't that many skunks in the City (of the four-legged variety, anyway.)

This situation just makes me sick. Headlines scream: Vicious dogs on the loose! as if it's the fault of the dogs. It is not. But it's the dogs who will have to be caught and killed, not the owners. It ain't right. I'm just sayin.