Editor, A murder was committed in Midway. This murder did not involve a person but a loving, sweet Chihuahua, who was mauled and killed by four boxer/American bulldogs that escaped from their yard. She was bitten in the neck, side and abdomen. She was in great pain, and it was very difficult finding a veterinarian on Thanksgiving. She went into shock. The vet gave her an IV and oxygen, yet she had respiratory failure. The vet gave her CPR, but she died at the vet’s.

I was walking my nine-pound dog, Belle, on a leash when the vicious dogs jumped us and attacked her on a public street. I jumped into the foray and tried to beat the dogs off but to no avail. I was lucky to escape myself without being bit.

Belle was a neighborhood pet, and many people in Midway knew her. Every day, she visited all of our neighbors before coming in and taking her nap. Whenever I placed my wallet in my pocket, she ran to the door, knowing we were going for a ride. We often walked around the shopping area on Butler Avenue. Her first stop was the pharmacy. She would run to the back of the store to visit each and every employee. She loved them and they, in turn, loved her. We would then take the rest of her walk, visiting others that she knew.

Because of the bulldogs’ owners’ lack of attention, Belle will be missed by many people. Why these negligent owners were allowed to have vicious dogs in a residential area is beyond me. I think that it is important to expose the dangers that these kinds of dogs present in a residential area, especially where there are children. Just suppose that this was a child and not my little dog. There have been other small animals killed in this area, but I can’t say for sure that the same dogs did it.

This brings up another important issue. The Liberty County School System picks up and drops off children directly in front of where these dogs live. Suppose it was a school day and not a holiday? Does a child have to die or be seriously injured before our officials do something to protect us?

Non-dog owners may not understand this, but Belle was like our own child, and my wife wakes in the middle of the night crying. Belle is sorely missed.

Len Calderone
Midway