DEAR ABBY: I am an older man in fairly good health. I walk regularly in the early mornings (to avoid the hot Texas sun). My problem is the number of dogs that are allowed to run loose through the streets. I must carry a heavy cane to beat the dogs off my legs at times. Sometimes the owners give me a hard time about that, but it's necessary to keep the dogs from biting me. The owners seem to think the dogs have the right to roam at will and bite anyone they choose.
There are so many dogs in our neighborhood that the back yards look like dog pounds, and the "gifts" the dogs leave on everyone's lawns are disgusting! The owners couldn't care less.
Abby, in my opinion, some of the uncooperative owners should be jailed. What do you think? -- FED UP IN CORPUS CHRISTI
DEAR FED UP: For the sake of the animals as well as pedestrians, it's unconscionable for owners to allow their dogs to run free in their neighborhood. The animals could be injured or killed, and very few neighbors appreciate the "gifts" dogs leave behind. The loose dogs should be reported so that the owners can be notified or cited if they refuse to control their pets. Continue calling until the job is done.