Aggressive Dogs - Case Study Example

Aggressive Dogs: A Solution In recent years, a terrifying problem has escalated throughout a specific neighborhood. There has been a sharp rise in the number of stray dogs roaming in packs that have a history of displaying aggressive behavior. It has come to the point where people cannot safely walk the streets during the day or night. The thriving, happy community that enjoyed the normal sounds of children at play has gone silent, fearful and angry. Unfortunately the silence is during the day when children should be able to play, but not at night when they should be able to sleep. These wild dogs scavenge through trash cans in the middle of the night which sets off a chain reaction chorus of barking from neighbor’s pet dogs locked in their backyards. Many have commented that if the city does not quickly act, they will resort to vigilante actions by shooting the dogs. Although many complaints have been lodged, our city leaders have turned a blind eye to the problem but must now quickly act to protect its citizens by enacting strict ordinances that will curb this intolerable dilemma. Instead of allowing neighbors to declare open season on dogs walking the neighborhood streets, which would not be to anyone’s safety, it is important that the city now address the problem of wild dogs by enacting and enforcing strict ordinances specifically designed to curb the number of unlicensed dogs in the city. The problem with the dogs has been escalating for approximately three years. About five years ago, this neighborhood was much as any other typical suburban middle class hamlet. A mixture of ethnicities went to work then came home to enjoy the conventional activities of talking over the fence to neighbors, caring for the lawn and watching their children running with their neighborhood friends. Dogs were pets that were either on a leash or in the backyard. Seldom was there a problem with dogs until someone who evidently had no compassion for the animals or for the people that would have to deal with them, abandoned a couple of dogs within the neighborhood streets. People of the neighborhood began to notice them rummaging through the trash about three years ago. Several called the city dog pound for relief. Pound officials would come out to look for the dogs about an hour after the call and, of course, the dogs were long gone by then. It wasn’t long before another couple of dogs joined to make it a pack. The original two are medium-sized with longish hair that is now matted and missing in patches. The other two are both larger and heavier. All are mixed breeds that can’t be positively identified. Still, some say that the first two are chow-mixed and the other two have German Shepard markings. At first, they weren’t aggressive; in fact, they were scared off easily and avoided humans, of all ages. The biggest problem at the time was the lack of rest everyone experienced. As they were wary of people, these strays would roam late in the nighttime. About half of the people in the neighborhood own dogs and even if the strays were at one end of the block, the chain reaction of barking extended to the other end. As they roamed, people in a span of several blocks were awoken on a nightly basis. This persistent problem began the communal hatred of these animals. The pack steadily increased in size and in temperament, from relatively small and merely aggravating to large and dangerous. Now, dogs of all sizes and descriptions roam the streets at all times. Over the past year, these dogs have become less and less fearful and have recently become very aggressive when interacting with humans. Three people have been bitten, two seriously including one child scarred for life on her face and an elderly woman that was almost mauled to death. This neighborhood has a good mix of ethnicities and ages. This elderly woman was sitting on her porch as she had done almost every evening since moving here almost 40 years ago. She had previously expressed concern about the dogs and only came out when they weren’t around. The pack surprised her in the early evening, coming from the side of the yard and when she stood up abruptly, several of them attacked. She spent weeks in the hospital then moved in with her son who came to clean her house out as she was too scared to return. One child was bit on the hand by what the little boy said was one of the dogs in the pack. The wound required a few stitches but an eight year-old girl wasn’t as lucky. As she and a group of friends were playing in her backyard where her parents thought it was safe, a group of these same dogs came in through a gate that was inadvertently left ajar and attacked her. The friends ran screaming while her mother ran to her rescue but the damage was done. She has about a six inch scar running down the side of her face. The physical damage to her appearance is more than matched by the psychological effects of that and the attack itself. The people of the neighborhood have made a presence at many city council meetings showing photographs and giving accounts of the seriousness of the problem hoping to bring about city intervention, but to little avail. Council members have always directed responsibility towards the animal control division and that there are laws in place to punish the owners of animals but they say they can’t do much beyond that. Some have gone as far to imply that since the dogs are from the neighborhood it is our fault for allowing this to happen. Part of that is unfortunately true. Some of the dogs in the pack came from this area. Pets that were docile in nature have become noticeably less so and a few of the less pampered pets in the neighborhood have joined the group. If this problem is not solved, many more children will suffer emotional and physical wounds. Everyone in the neighborhood is being terrorized in a place that they hoped would be and should be a sanctuary from their daily lives at school and work. Thoughts and words of vigilantism are ever increasing; fear is rampant and is rapidly spreading while the city leaders and staff are doing nothing to help. This problem is not in this area alone, nationwide, 44,000 people each year are bitten by dogs, an average of 12 to 15 fatally (Kovary, 2000). If the city will not help, the neighbors, at their last meeting, discussed several options available to them including the use of guns, outside companies and poison baits. About a dozen men in the neighborhood had decided to give the city one more month, and then take matters into their own hands by systematically shooting the dogs. The vast majority of this area’s residents, who, in the past would never have agreed to such tactics, are fully behind this dramatic measure. The men and a couple of women held a separate, clandestine in nature, meeting to decide how to affect this plan. Many suggestions were offered including everyone carrying guns and randomly shooting the strays on sight, setting up small militias in strategic points throughout the neighborhood at night and groups driving the streets, looking for the pack. Another suggestion that was founded somewhat more in reason was to hire an outside company to catch and dispose of the dogs and to put poison bait in trash cans. No such private animal control companies could be found that would take care of the problem thus poisoning the dogs won the consensus. The organizers decided to buy hamburger meat and rat poison to distribute to willing participants. The neighborhood consists of about 15 streets, all with corresponding alleys dividing them. The covert mission would target 30 places; two packages of tainted meat placed in an open trash can in each alley for as long as it took to correct the problem. The neighborhood group of 45 people theorized that it would take one week of continuous baiting to resolve the situation. The plan called for half a pound of meat per baiting with an ample amount of poison in each. That calculates to 105 pounds of meat at $1.89 per pound or just under $200. Each person involved (30) bought a $3.79 box of poison and paid $6.62 for their portion of meat for a total expenditure per person of about $11 (tax included). The danger of poison in the trash can to other animals or children was certainly less than the continued dangers of wild dogs. It is the best, cheapest and unfortunately, the only way to protect the citizens of the once peaceful neighborhood. Other people of the neighborhood were convinced that the idea of poisoning was not only dangerous but would not work, but have been unable to propose anything safer or more effective. They argued that it was an irresponsible distribution of hazardous chemicals that could easily fall into the possession of anything or anyone. They believed that the neighborhood should continue to go through political channels to solve the issue and that we should force the system to work. Still others thought that this measure was not strong, quick or effective enough to satisfy the urgent problem. This group, small but vocal, thought the best method was to shoot them all in one night and be done with it. The vigilante approach is scarier to many than the problem dogs themselves as the vision of hate-filled, possibly drunken, individuals have a ‘turkey-shoot’ in the alley at night go through our collective minds. Not the best of thoughts under which to fall asleep. The political approach has been ineffective and frustrating in and of itself for many years. How long can you butt your head against a wall before you climb over it? Regardless of how you look at the situation, two members of this little neighborhood will never be the same again in a very real and permanent way as a result of this problem that the city will not fix and that has grown in proportion in recent months. We owe it to them, our children and ourselves to resolve this issue today and should feel guilty only of not having been more proactive much sooner. The bait idea is minimally harmful compared to the alternatives; shotgun blasts in the backyard at night or the continued mauling of our neighbors. It is decidedly the most effective method of dealing with this problem on balance with everything concerned. Outline I. Introduction a. Thesis Statement - Instead of allowing neighbors to declare open season on dogs walking the neighborhood streets, which would not be to anyone’s safety, it is important that the city now address the problem of wild dogs by enacting and enforcing strict ordinances specifically designed to curb the number of unlicensed dogs in the city. II. The Problem a. The problem with the dogs has been escalating for approximately three years. b. Over the past year, these dogs have become less and less fearful and have recently become very aggressive when interacting with humans. c. The people of the neighborhood have made a presence at many city council meetings showing photographs and giving accounts of the seriousness of the problem hoping to bring about city intervention, but to little avail. III. The Solution a. If the city will not help, the neighbors, at their last meeting, discussed several options available to them including the use of guns, outside companies and poison baits. IV. Concerns regarding the solution a. Other people of the neighborhood were convinced that the idea of poisoning was not only dangerous but would not work, but have been unable to propose anything safer or more effective. V. Conclusion Works Cited Kovary, Robin. “Aggressive Dogs.” American Dog Trainer’s Network. (2000). April 1, 2006 < http://www.inch.com/~dogs/aggression.html> Read More