Owners to blame for dog issues

I find myself baffled by something lately — a child is bitten, hospitalized, has to have rabies shots after being bitten by a dog at the Whitefish Farmers Market a few weeks ago — yet there are still dogs being allowed inside. What is very wrong with this picture? Before anyone goes crazy on me ... imagine it being your child or grandchild. Ask anyone who knows me, I am one of the biggest dog lovers you’ll meet so this is not an attack on the dogs, but it just might be an attack on the owners though.

The owner of the dog who bit this child took his dog and ran. I see owners, sadly, way too often, who pay no attention to what their dog is up to — maybe give them no basics in being a well-mannered dog, let their dog run loose, let their dogs poop, watching it happen and then walk away. It’s no wonder the owners who put time and care into their animals now pay the price pretty much everywhere with not dogs allowed.

So my question is — why hasn’t the Farmers Market closed the gate on dogs? I really, truly want an answer, as do many others I know. Please, if some of the people who are behind the scenes can tell me, please do so in print or call me or I’d love to talk face to face.

In my mind allowing dogs after a child and his family were traumatized, makes a bit of a statement of “don’t care this happened” maybe even catering to the tourists more than anything?

I’m on the dogs side, believe me. In almost all cases, it’s not the dogs fault, it’s the owners who are too lazy, too disrespectful, too oblivious to see or care how their dog is acting. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to own one.

Paula Jones, Whitefish