Dogs (and owners) get reprieve

So once in a while you get a surprise by attending a Tecumseh City Council meeting. One happened Monday night when the council members voted down a proposed dog leash ordinance (4-3, with nays from Johnson, Naugle, Schmidt and Housekeeper. The votes came after Council member Johnson read a statement, that included his views that he is not opposed to leashing dogs, and agreed with Council membeer Van Alstine who recently stated that leashing your dog is just something that responsible dog owners do. What Johnson objected to was further legislating something that should be happening anyway and also that such a law is virtually unenforceable. He was against "punishing" responsible pet owners with dogs who do not leave their own yards because they are properly trained by making them go outdoors every time the dog does, in thunderstorms and in the middle of the night. A second reading on the proposed ordinance was approved with only Johnson opposing it. Following the reading of the statement, some of the council members chose to reconsider the issue. The measure also addressed dangerous dogs, which no one wants to see running loose in the community, and Johnson said if the others wanted to address that, perhaps they should address that area alone. Let's hope that the pet owners of Tecumseh will indeed continue to show responsible ownership, which it seems the majority does. For more information on this vote, see this week's issue of the Herald online and in print.