Regarding the letter from Sean Michalik [Jan. 2 Times/News] about the leash law in the City of Des Moines:

I am the Animal Control Officer for the Des Moines Police Department, and I have been with DMPD since 1988. I am also the director and an instructor for the state Animal Control Officer Academy, which is sponsored by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission and the Washington Animal Control Association (of which I am Vice-President).

I also raise, train, breed and show dogs, and have instructed group dog obedience classes and conducted private dog-training sessions since 1975.

My job as an Animal Control Officer involves enforcing animal laws (among other duties), which are designed to not only protect the public, but to protect pets as well. When a person allows his/her pets (specifically dogs in this case) to run at large, they potentially put the public AND the animal in danger.

Dogs that run loose can be injured or killed by vehicles, can be accidentally poisoned by getting into garbage, rodent poisons or anti-freeze, can get lost or be stolen, can be attacked by other animals, and can potentially pick up diseases and parasites, among other things.

We dog owners love our pets and know how our dog acts with our family members in our home, but that can be very different from how the dog acts with strangers or when running loose with the owner not around. I have seen dogs that were extremely friendly in the owner's residence, but when they were out loose, suddenly became aggressive, chasing and trying to attack citizens that were walking by.

It is so sad when I arrive on yet another call of a dead dog in the roadway, apparently hit by a car, and find a deceased sweet family pet whose owner I had warned before about allowing their dog to run loose.

It is also upsetting when I arrive on a call of a dog bite, and find a small child screaming, crying and bleeding, having been bitten in the face by a loose dog that was being territorial and thought the entire street "belonged" to him, because his owner allowed him to run loose.

In one particularly disturbing case, the child had to have reconstructive facial surgery to repair the horrible bite damage.

I had one case where a dog was running loose on the public roadway, and a driver swerved to avoid hitting the dog and crashed her vehicle, causing injuries to the driver, and damage to her vehicle and to public property. (I impounded the dog at the time, and the dog owner was ultimately held responsible for the costs involved).

I had another case where a loose dog ran up to an elderly woman in the public street, and she was so frightened she tried to back away from the dog, and proceeded to fall backwards and break her arm.

People should be able to stroll around our beautiful city (with or without their own dog on a leash), taking in the sights, getting exercise, and breathing in the fresh air, without being challenged by a loose dog on the public street.

Being a responsible pet owner means taking proper care of our beloved pets, which includes keeping them safe and under our control; we owe that to our wonderful animals, and to our Des Moines neighbors, too.

Jan Magnuson _

Master Animal Control Officer

Des Moines Police Department