Readers, Please Help Me Out
Dear Ann Landers: The letter from the Colorado reader who wondered if there were any cities that outlawed dogs piqued my interest. Colorado has lots of dogs, and the problems go far beyond barking.
In March, a 5-year-old boy was nearly killed when a neighbor’s Rottweiler broke through a fence and attacked him. I, too, have been bitten several times, and the dog owners always try to figure out what I might have done to provoke their beloved pets. Too few people seem to enjoy or spend time with them. The dogs are ignored and treated like attack dogs, encouraged to “protect” the family, but too often end up mauling children.
The Denver Post published a list of other vicious dog attacks in the Colorado area in the past 10 years. I hope you will print it. People need to know how dangerous some pets can be. - No Dog-Free Environment in Colorado
Dear Colorado: Thank you for a letter of value. This subject is difficult to approach because a great many people feel that anything negative said about dogs is somehow “un-American.” Here’s part of the Denver Post article:
In April 1995, a 2-year-old girl was killed by her grandmother’s mixed-breed dog after playing on swings nearby. Bites from the 120-pound dog punctured the 25-pound girl’s internal organs.
In March 1995, a wolf-hybrid belonging to a house guest mauled a 4-year-old boy in an unincorporated county. The boy survived.
December 1994: A 3-year-old girl was rescued by a friend from an attack by the family Rottweiler. The girl was sitting on the floor, putting on a shoe, when the dog began mauling her.
May 1994: A 2-year-old boy survived near-scalping, gashes and a crushed arm after four Rottweilers dragged him across the street.
October 1991: A neighbor’s chow crossed the street and tore part of a 3-year-old girl’s face off as she played on her front porch. The dog was killed by police after a chase.
February 1991: Two pit bull terriers attacked a 6-year-old girl as she was walking to a friend’s house. The girl survived. Owners of the dogs had been cited a dozen times earlier for allowing the vicious dogs to run free.
October 1990: A 4-year-old boy was killed by a neighbor’s malamute as the child ran down a road trying to catch up to his mother.
May 1990: A West Denver boy, 6, was mauled by a wolf-hybrid twice his weight as he crossed a bridge on his way to school.
May 1989: A Denver man, 58, sustained two broken legs and 70 bites after being set upon by a pit bull terrier. To rescue him, a neighbor shot the dog.
Dear Readers: This is Ann, again. The lady with all the answers doesn’t have any answer to this one. Dog lovers, unite, and give me a clue.
Dear Ann: I love your revival of those old Burma Shave signs. Can you print one more? - Sybil in Old Town, Fla.
Dear Sybil: I’m astounded by the number of readers who can still recall these highway signs after so many years. Thanks for yours. Here it is:
A fellow who passes
On hills and curves
Is not a fellow
With lots of nerve.
He’s crazy.