Who Let the Dogs Out? First, I want to commend (not condemn) Dr. John Lauby for the excellent job he is doing as the Director of Cumberland County Animal Control. He has a big job and, finally, for the fi rst time in many years, we have the talent and expertise needed to operate that vital county department. I hope we don’t run him off.

Unfortunately, with the recent rash of misinformation being spread about the department and the options informally discussed about how the Animal Control Board can deal with the crisis, Cumberland County is facing trying to control the excessive number of unwanted stray dogs designated as bully breeds.

These are dogs known for being aggressive by nature, showing sporadic hostility and behaving unpredictably. For the past week Lauby, his department and the Cumberland County Commissioners have been bombarded with thousands of phone calls and emails expressing protest and concern that the adoption of these animals (pit bulls, Rottweiler’s, chows) would be restricted with an automatic death sentence imposed after 72 hours.

This was just not true, and the rumor went viral over Facebook and the internet. In reality, the Animal Control Board’s (ACB) job is to “control the animals” and protect the public. The 72 hour policy applies to any animal.That being said, the outrage is misguided and unfounded and has an eerie resemblance to the crime situation we have here in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.

Consider this: Our community is experiencing a serious, some say massive, crime wave. The increase in the number of homicides, robberies and damage to personal property has law enforcement frustrated and working overtime while local residents and business owners live and work in constant fear.

Criminals, like the stray dogs, are excessive and an extreme nuisance taking over the county. Law enforcement, like the ACB, is working hard to solve the problem. Yet, if a certain group of people arbitrarily don’t like the solutions or techniques these agencies use to solve the problems they attack the individual and try to dismantle the entire system. Sure, we all hate crime but what if our “solutions” make it impossible to arrest the criminals? Sure, we hate packs of wild-stray dogs running amuck in our neighborhoods, but, like the criminals, when we catch them what do we do with them? Hostile animals cannot be adopted nor can they be rehabilitated. Again, it is the same for career criminals and again, like the captured animals, where do you put them?

The animal shelter, like the jail, is already at its max capacity now. So, many say turn them loose. Well, our local courts and justice system are already turning them loose. It’s no wonder our crime rate is escalating. The failure of our leaders to lead and our community’s failure to accept its social responsibilities and let them lead have resulted in the creation of our own customized “bully breed” of criminal. A hideous specimen of a human being who is bold, confident, aggressive and unafraid because they have been bred in the reality of no consequences or penalties for their actions. Unless this trend is reversed, Fayetteville and Cumberland County will be on its way to becoming the next Gotham City — without a Batman and Robin.

Back to the dogs. We must accept our responsibility as a community and stop griping and complaining about the situation and start offering up some solutions. After all, those dogs came from somewhere.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Photo: Cumberland County Commissioners have been bombarded with thousands of phone calls and emails expressing protest and concern that the adoption of these animals (pit bulls, Rottweiler’s, chows) would be restricted with an automatic death sentence imposed after 72 hours.