Control better than new ordinances

To the editor:

The Delta Board of Aldermen is proposing strict restrictions of Rottweilers, chows and pit bulls without any grandfathering and no consideration of individual cases.

The dog that instigated these measures is a Rottweiler that killed a small dog that came into its yard while the Rottweiler was chained outside.

Unfortunately, Delta has leash laws that were not being enforced. If these laws had been enforced in a judicious manner, the smaller dog would have been contained in its own yard, and it would still be alive.

Delta's answer to this problem is to pass an ordinance to regulate specific breeds instead of examining ordinances already on the books and enforcing these ordinances in a fair and consistent manner.

Regulations must be implemented to protect all citizens in a community. If the law says your dog is to be under your control at al times, it should not matter if it's a small dog or a large dog.

Is the Rottweiler in Delta vicious? I can't say. But it is unfortunate the dog will ultimately pay the price for actions of human beings. The dog, after all, is not capable of deciding its own future.

MELANIE ARNOLD

Cape Girardeau