A dog owner speaks out

Last night, in the Town of Greece, a suburb of Rochester, the police shot and killed a a Rottweiler.

Folks, there is no bigger dog lover than Sherry Bennett on the face of the earth. But I fully support what the police did. This dog chased children who were out trick or treating. He lunged at a police officer. Two shots and the dog was dead. Who do I blame? The dog's owner(s).

I have owned dogs for most of my life. Since 1985, I have owned one or more Labrador Retrievers continuously. I have had the gut wrenching experience of standing by two of them as they were humanely put to sleep by a vet. If you choose to own a dog, you have a responsibility 24/7/360 to care for that dog and see that it is properly maintained. That means not letting it run loose. Now don't say, "Well, what if the dog gets out accidentally?" My response to that is, "What if your toddler gets away from you and runs into a busy street?" If you cannot properly maintain and control your dog, THEN DON'T HAVE A DOG. . . it is that simple.

I don't know what legal responsibilities the owner of this dog will face. I am more concerned for those children who may have been traumatized long term by this experience.

I have deep rooted opinions about the type of dog to own. I would never own a breed that is known to be hostile or aggressive. But those are my opinions. If you choose to own any dog, see that it is properly trained and non-agressive. If you do not have the time or desire to do that, then you don't deserve to own a dog.

I know this post is more abrasive than you are accustomed to reading here. But on this case, I think my feelings are justified. I hope the owner of this dog will have the good sense to refrain from ever owning a dog again. . . but that probably won't happen.