Dear Jo.com:

What has happened to all of our leash laws and animal control that we once had? I can not even go for a walk without some dog, coming from nowhere, charging at me or even dogs that are with their owners on a leash, jumping and trying to bite me. What can be done about all of these dogs? Those of us that chose to not have dogs have the right to walk in parks and down our neighborhood streets without the fear of being attacked by free willed dogs.

Dear Kate.com:

I agree with you 100 percent and I wish I had enough time and energy to devote the rest of my life training and teaching all people to be responsible for their own actions. But, we do not live in a perfect world and the world that we live in today is broken in every area.

We still do have leash laws, but the Animal control agencies have been either cut back or laid off; not to mention, over worked because of all of the animals that have been dumped on road sides because their owners can no longer take care of them.

Then there are fences that need mending, but the landowner cannot afford the materials to fix the fence. The problems just go on and on without any end in sight. Which brings me back to why I started this column to begin with: We can not fix all of the problems of the world that we live in, but we can learn to take care of our own problems and help our neighbors and friends with their problems so at the end of the day we can all make a difference in this world that we do choose to live in.

I have been noticing a very large amount of people just turning their dogs loose, seemingly to add protection for their homes. Which in turn is giving all dogs a bad name because these people unknowingly are encouraging inappropriate aggression in their dogs and ultimately all they are doing is teaching their dogs to put themselves in harms way.

In reality, dogs are not weapons, and should not be used as one. They have the mental capacity of a 2 or 3 year old child. Would you give a 3 year old child a weapon and expect them to protect you? It is a betrayal in the trust that our animals have in us, as leaders of their packs, to knowingly send them into harm’s way.

How many times have you heard on the evening News that an animal has been put down because they attacked a human Who is at fault here? We can point fingers all day long, but does that solve the problem? Killing the dogs — does that solve the problem? Suing someone in court — does that solve the problem? Seemingly not!!!!

At least up until the day of the printing of this column, no change in human behavior has been noticed. People are just angry at life these days and we all need to take a moment and see how we can make things better — not see what we can do to inflict pain on others, TRYING to make ourselves feel better.

All dog owners need to take a fresh look at what kind of message they are trying to portray with their dogs. Because, right now, society is choosing to label all dogs as BAD DOGS. Is this the fault of the dogs? They are the ones being killed.

If you feel you need a dog for protection then have your dog trained for protection. A well trained guard dog is the best behaved dog in the neighborhood. They only act when faced with a REAL threat; never do they react out of fear. If you feel you can not afford the training your dog needs, then do research on your own and do your own training. We are all out here willing to give advice and help. PLEASE, help me change the image of “our best friends in this whole world” — our beloved pets.

At times we all become perplexed with our pet’s behaviors. If you are one of those owners, email me at josdoggytalk@hotmail.com so others can learn from our discussions. Join us each week right here on the pet page for more on pet behaviors and how to become the leader your pets deserve.