There’s an older dog who wanders
from Lake Avenue to Second Avenue
East anywhere from Fourth to Sixth
Streets. He (or she) is a shepherd/
something mix, pretty slow-moving
and very friendly. I cringe every
time I see her cross the street in
front of me. Someone at night or
who might be not watching on a turn
could easily hit the dog. I wonder
where it might live. I think I should
follow on one of its adventures to see
if I can track him or her home and
let the family who must love this dog
know that their dog is crossing streets
and not looking both ways. I livetrapped
a beautiful orange cat a few
months ago. I couldn’t stand to think
of him crossing Mesaba Avenue and
ending up as road-kill. I’ve buried a
few dogs who ended up not making
it home after just such a crossing.
I have never understood the
thinking behind our human behaviors
when it comes to caring for our
animal friends. Letting a cat outside
for even an hour can prove to be lifethreatening,
not only to the cat, but to
the songbirds or nests of baby birds
and rabbits it might get into during
that hour. I always get a bad feeling
when I see cats hiding under cars,
the ones that freeze and stare when
I call a friendly “Kitty, kitty…”
More often than not, those cats run.
Perhaps the cat has been chased by
children, had rocks thrown at it, or
its feral, born outside and not social.
They will have a hard life outside.
The two loose cats, unspayed and
unneutered in the neighborhood will
provide the shelter with plenty of
litters to fill its cages. Or the small
cats will survive a winter, live a feral
life, and have more kittens. Fight
cat overpopulation: keep your cats
indoors. Spay and neuter.
In my 15 years in the Central
Hillside, no less than 25 dogs have
found their way through my yard.
Many have been taken to the shelter,
having no tags, no license, no method
of tracking that would lead me to their
home. Some of the dogs have been
tagged or at least collared and there’s
been some means of finding family.
At least I knew at the shelter they’d
have a warm bed, food, and safety
out of the range of neighborhood
dangers. I would hope someone
would do the same for my dogs.
Best practice: keep your animals
close and indoors. There is a leash
law. Even the best dog or cat won’t
always stick right around the yard.
They don’t know about traffic.
People have related stories of
being attacked or at least aggressively
approached by loose dogs as they
walk streets in the Hillside area.
Dogs in some areas have gone after
the humans and the pets they were
walking.
One man was even attacked
by cats on a porch as he delivered a
package to a home. Turns out there
was a female in heat and the male
cats considered him competition!
We shouldn’t have to be afraid to
walk our neighborhoods for fear an
animal will be loose and harass us
or our own animals and maybe harm
someone. I live with a group of nice
dogs. But even nice dogs who love
people can be protective of their
home, sidewalk, or humans. Ask the
burglar who tried to enter the house
last summer. The 14 pound Lhasapoo
I live with is proof that size
doesn’t matter. My dogs are always
on their leashes or leads and I’m
always out with them in the yard.
One time a young boy stepped into
the yard to supposedly pet my dogs.
Had they bitten him, (I don’t think
they would have unless provoked by
some behavior) it would have been
my fault. I won’t put them in that
situation. I will protect them from
unthinking humans. It’s important to
be aware of the laws that pertain to dog
bites both on and off your property.
Humans can do a lot to prevent
incidents from happening. It usually
isn’t the animal’s fault. Foresight
and good citizenship should guide us
in good pet companionship.
If you would like your dogs to
be loose and off-leash, do so legally
at the Keane Creek dog park. Be a
good citizen: Be familiar with and
obey the city animal ordinances.
Please make the City of Duluth
Animal Control personnel aware of
any problems with animals in your
neighborhood whether that be loose
animals, neglect, abuse, barking
dogs or aggressive animals.
If you find a stray animal and
you aren’t sure what to do with it,
call. Animal Control is a city service
that citizens pay for and is a unit
of the Duluth Police Department.
Their phone number is 723-3259.
If you cannot reach anyone at that
number, call 911. Don’t give up or
get frustrated if you don’t get a call
back. Keep calling. If you are not
getting a resolution to the problem,
call the Duluth Police Department.
Most importantly, license your
animals, give them tags, keep them
close, and teach children respect
for all creatures, including wildlife
around us.
