Tragic and infuriating

Stanley Hartt moved to Tucumcari a couple of years ago. This past November, he wrote a column for the Quay County Sun, talking about how much he loved this community. In that column, he talked about all the problems plaguing the rest of the country and contrasted them with the quiet solace of going for walks in Tucumcari.

Mr. Hartt went for a walk in Tucumcari the other night. He never made it back home, because a pack of five dogs mauled him to death as he was walking down a street about a mile from my house.

I don’t know exactly what happened, or why, or who was responsible. The police are still trying to sort out the details. But I am certain of one thing: This didn’t have to happen.

When dogs attack humans, it is almost always avoidable, and it is almost always the result of a failure in one of three areas:

1. Breeding. In addition to the obvious problem of pet overpopulation, sloppy breeding can create pups with unstable temperaments. Worse, a female in heat will attract every intact male that catches her scent. Dogs following a bitch in heat are all hormone and no brain, which makes them unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Don’t contribute to these problems. Fix your dog.

2. Training. Sometimes people train dogs to attack; more often, they simply fail to train their dogs not to attack. If your dog growls, snaps, or shows other signs of aggression, find a trainer or behaviorist to help you figure out what’s causing the behavior and correct it before it escalates.

3. Supervision. This one infuriates me the most, because it’s so simple, so effective, and so frequently ignored. Dogs need to be under close supervision or securely confined at all times. “Close supervision” means you are paying attention and can intervene immediately if the dog starts to misbehave. “Securely confined” means inside your house or behind a fence from which the dog cannot escape. Animals that are securely confined or closely supervised cannot attack passing pedestrians. This isn’t rocket science. But every time I go for a walk, I have at least one run-in with a loose dog, because people simply can’t be arsed to control their dogs.

Dogs are wonderful creatures. I love them more than anything else in this world and cannot imagine where I would be without them. But they depend on humans to keep them out of trouble. If your dog is intact, untrained, or roaming around your neighborhood without supervision, please get your act together now, before your beloved pet hurts someone. You owe it to yourself, your dog, and your community. (And if your dog is reactive or aggressive, but you can’t afford a trainer, hit me up. I do a LOT of pro bono work, and I will happily work with you to make sure you and your dog have access to the training you need to make Tucumcari a little safer.)