Hampden Run Neighbors

Dogs off Leash

I appreciate your concern. Those are my pair of Huskies. However, they have never once ''walked'' over the fence. They're not that smart. The two times they have gotten loose, our gate was not closed.

Unfortunately due to their look, they can appear scary. It's scary for us when they've taken off running because they have no concern for anything but running. It's their nature. They love to run and that's all thier thinking about. So cars are a huge concern. But they are after all, just dogs. We've spent alot of time and effort into training them to be good dogs, but they're still dogs.

Again, I appreciate your concern for our neighborhood as I know most of us are. My dogs are indeed friendly. The little one is very shy though. Please come by and say ''hi'' to them the next time you see either me or my wife walking them. I know we would all love to meet you.

My wife and I are frequently on our porch in the evenings with the dogs as well and welcome anyone to come by and say ''hi.''

As far as the unleashed dogs go, I've only ever seen our neighbor out playing with his little dog, but they're no longer there. I also frequently pick up dog waste that doesn't belong to me. An annoyance yes, but I can't expect everyone to be perfect citizens all the time.

We've been here for three years now and have nothing but great experiences with everyone. So take responsibility for your animal and your neighborhood and help each other out.

For Husky Owners

I appreciate your sincere and cordial reply regarding your dogs. At least you are trying to do the right thing and do have a regard for others' safety. Everyone makes mistakes and since we are all sharing a ''back yard'', so to speak, everyone needs to be respectful and regard others' rights.
I still contend that it is very scary when you have a small, leashed dog to have an unknown large dog come flying up to you. I have spoken to 3 people whose dogs were attacked by large dogs and one was very unfortunate. I do not want my pup to be one of the stats. There are many things I overlook in the complex, but the safety of my dog, my loved ones and me is not one of those things.
I am glad all of your experiences have been good ones, but not all of us share the same experiences.

Responsibility of Dog Owners

I understand how scary that can be and your need to protect your loved ones. If I ever see the person, I'll be sure to address the issue. Safety needs to be a concern for everyone.

Dog owners need to take responsibility for their dogs. This is a problem that is glaringly apparent at the local dog parks. Also, one reason we don't take our dogs to the dogs parks much- although our dogs love to play and love other dogs, other dogs tend not to be so well-behaved. So many problems have arisen and our dogs have been attacked so many times while their owners just stand there and watch. Their dogs have even drawn blood and they just apologize sheepishly. And we're like, ''Keep control of your damn dog...it's got anger issues.''

Anyway, if I see any loose dogs, I'll politely inform the owner. And if our dogs ever appear to be a problem, please don't hesitate to let us know. They both of love other dogs and people and tend to get really excited when they see them...although the little one is very shy.

Thanks Neighbor

You are truly a kind person and I have really appreciated your honesty and willingness to be a part of the solution. I have told 3 different dog owners to please keep their dogs on a leash and haven't seen them off again, so it does help.