Letters To The Editor

Sat., March 11, 2000

Animal owners, take more responsibility

As far as noisy or aggressive dogs, I cannot say that I encounter either on a regular basis. This is much different than the neighborhood my family lived in previously. There, we constantly heard dogs barking and had other dogs running loose.

There was an incident several years ago involving three pit bulls. They were attacking a man who was defending his own dog against them and the dogs injured him and attacked the police officers who came to his aid. The dogs were shot and killed in the street. This was two blocks from my house.

I think that there is more of a problem with the dog owners than with the dogs. The owners refuse to use their leashes or pick up after their dogs. One of our cats was chased around our back yard by a dog that was not on a leash; his owners were taking a leisurely stroll on the sidewalk, coiled leash in hand.

If owners took responsibility for their animals and walked them on leashes, kept them in fenced yards, and picked up after them, we would have few real animal control problems. Erica Orto Coeur d’Alene

Thanks for American Cancer Society support

On behalf of cancer survivors, their families, our volunteers and the American Cancer Society, we would like to send 10,000 thank yous to Lakes Middle School students and staff. We were honored to speak at the Cancer Awareness Assembly Feb. 25. Our hearts were touched with the enthusiasm and commitment the Lakes students have for their penny drive. They already have raised more than $6,000 toward their goal of $10,000, which they will donate to the American Cancer Society at the Relay for Life. We want to thank Dave Eubanks, the teacher who started the penny drive, Lakes Principal Chris Hammons, Coeur d’Alene School Superintendent David Rawls and Mayor Steve Judy for speaking at the assembly.

We send a huge penny drive thank you to our business community, which has more than 120 blue jugs on their counters and who donated prizes to the students’ raffle.

We would also like to invite the entire community to come out July 14 and 15 and experience the Kootenai County Relay for Life 200 at Coeur d’Alene High School. It is the celebration of life and midsummer party. For information, call 765-3060 or 667-9749. Anna Marie Callaghan, Relay for Life Chair; Nicol Reinicke, American Cancer Society Area Director; and Todd Callaghan, cancer survivor Coeur d’Alene

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