Dog trapped

Dear Editor,

Last Wednesday evening around 9 o'clock, my husband took our two dogs outside for a potty break before bed.

This happens every evening without a hitch. But on this particular night, our young Blue Heeler spotted a cat up the street and, as dogs will do, he bolted after it.

No amount of calling would stop him. We jumped in the car immediately and went after him, but in the dark couldn't find him.

Every day I called "Open Line," the Humane Society and even the police. We drove around endlessly, as did family members.

I walked around the neighborhood, but all in vain. Saturday, on a whim, I decided to stop by the Humane Society, just in case, and lo and behold, they had my dog.

Seems the police had brought him in on Friday night. They said he was found in a house at 810 West 4th. That is four houses from mine. When we got the whole story from our neighbors, who had called the police, it seems they heard something in the abandoned house on Friday night and called the police.

The house is posted "no trespassing," so the police got the owner to come over and let them in, and they rescued my dog, who had been trapped in there for two days and two nights with no food or water.

In talking to the neighbor I wondered how he got in there, and she pointed out to me a missing basement window, where he must have chased the cat which, by the way, was unharmed.

He fell into the basement and could not get back out, so he roamed around this empty dump for two days. Before I could retrieve the little fellow from the Humane Society, I had to go to the police station where a very nice officer said he felt bad, but HAD to issue me a citation for "Dog At Large."

He explained the fine would be $20 plus $44 in court cost, even if I didn't actually go to court, because I could just go pay the ticket. I don't mind paying the $12 to the Humane Society, because they took care of my pet, and for that I'm grateful.

But I don't understand why I was issued a citation when my dog wouldn't have been "At Large" had he not been trapped in an unsafe building for two days. Had he not fallen into an open basement window, he would have been inside his own home within 5 minutes.

We try to be responsible pet owners. We had our dogs neutered, have gotten their shots regularly, and we don't let them run loose to terrorize the neighborhood. I don't feel this is a fair citation, and I feel the owners of that abandoned house should be made to secure it so next time it isn't a toddler who falls in that window.

If anyone should pay the $64 fine, it should be them. By the way, my court date is on Sunday, April 20. Do you think anyone will be there?

Sandra Banjoff,

McCook