Not every dog can be described as man's best friend. Or, at least, it is according to my thinking. Much like every animal on the planet, there's good and there's bad. Even with us humans, we have good and bad. But I'll not go anywhere with this topic, except with a certain dog. I love dogs. But I have to admit there are some that apparently don't want love from anyone. And such is the case with a dog that lives down the street. I know nothing about this dog except he's black and a nuisance. I'm not even sure he has a name. The apparent owner never revealed this. He simply keeps saying, "The dog isn't mine." Before I get a head of the story, I begin from what I know as the beginning.
The area school lets out. The children begin their walk home. Up the street stand three children who are afraid to go any further. "The dog will attack us!" they say. And sure enough, he will. A grown up will help the children to get past the dog. I've even helped them. And so has my son and other neighbors. No one seems to stop the situation.
One day, two girls came running and jumped into my son's truck bed to avoid the chasing dog.
"I'm sorry," they apologized.
"That's fine,"I said, "do you need any help?" This dog seemed to leave adults alone.
Something needed to be done. Everyone including myself was letting it ride. I figured sooner or later a parent would step in. But it was not so, until it was this one day. And it was my son who isn't a parent who did the stepping in.
It was a small child walking home from school alone. He must have been in the first grade or so. I was in the front yard and so was my son. I asked the boy in passing, "Do you need help getting past the dog?"
He shook his head no. And then afterwards, we heard barking. The dog was chasing the boy. Since the boy knew we were outside, he ran right to us. He was crying and so scared. My son calmed him down and then walked beside him past the still barking dog.
"I've seen enough," said my son. Immediately he got on the telephone and called the dog pound.
"Are you willing to go to court about the dog?" He was asked over the phone.
"Yes," he replied.
We watched and they never came that day. We were gone the following day. But upon returning home, that neighbor came to talk to my son.
"Somebody turned me in for the dog," he said.
"I did!" replied my son.
"It's not my dog," the man said. He must have known that my son had reported him. Or else, why did he come to my son? The neighbor said, "He isn't my dog. But I sometimes let him into my house to feed him." He paused and continued. "I told them I would find out whose dog it is." The dog still remains there at the same house.
I told my son that if it was indeed not his dog then he had a duty to report it when he saw it chasing children. Even he would frequently call the dog inside when it chased them.
With school to start again in August, the chasing will surely begin again. But this time, the dog has been reported at least once that we know of. If something unthinkable should happen, let's hope someone is held accountable.
