Teaching a dog to be aggressive

Re: Blame the owner, not the dog, Aug. 16

Dogs, like most animals, have instincts that drive their behaviour. However, this behaviour can be controlled with proper training early on.

I was outside recently when a man was walking his dog down our street. The man saw the village black cat in my neighbour’s yard and sicced his dog on the cat. The dog chased the cat and ran all over the neighbourhood dragging his leash behind, looking for the cat and, I suspect, any other small animal he might spy. Where was the owner? Walking along, talking on his cellphone, while his dog terrorized the cat.

Needless to say, I stepped in. I asked him what the hell he was doing and called him an idiot. He responded by saying that his dog was not a “mean dog.” Well, maybe not yet, but if he keeps training the dog to chase cats, a small child might look like a cat to it someday. Yolande Bourque, Cumberland