Letter to the Editor: Loose and wild dog problem in Lenoir County and in particular La Grange

I am writing in regard to the loose/wild dog problem in Lenoir County and in particular La Grange.  

About two weeks ago, my neighbor’s cat was mauled by two dogs we believe are owned by people who live down the street. These two dogs ran across my back deck late one night and nearly killed my neighbor’s cat which I tried to stop from happening. I myself have two outside cats we took in because of someone else’s negligence. We took responsibility for them and had them neutered to help with the stray cat population but I worry now about their safety. It is not right as tax-paying citizens of this town that irresponsible dog owners are allowed to let their dogs roam free onto our properties! Why is there no law that requires dog owners to keep their dogs on leashes or they must fence them in? Not only is it unsafe and inhumane, dogs roaming the streets may cause accidents and hurt or kill people.  

Also, I am including photos I took the other day heading out of town west on Washington Street near the “welcome to La Grange” sign. There must have been between six to eight dogs that were stopping traffic. This is the second time I have witnessed this at this same exact location. 

As a concerned property owner and lover of all animals, I am sending copies of this letter to other local, county and state officials pleading with anyone to please fix this problem. I know the town of La Grange is currently trying to revitalize the town and bring in new businesses, but not only is this problem unsafe and inhumane, it makes our town look especially undesirable and may instead keep away the very people and businesses we want to come in.

Written by Melanie Ciarrocchi

Editors note: No photos were submitted with this article.