Stopping abuse takes community effort
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Editor,
I was talking with Clyde this morning. Clyde is my dog, and he told me is all about stopping substance abuse in our community. I adopted Clyde three years ago after his former owner was sent to prison for multiple DUI convictions and several PMFA offences. Clyde had been severely abused by his former owner and bears the scars, both physical and emotional, that come from this sort of thing. Clyde still fears people who use alcohol and will usually let them know to stay away from him. He suffered several broken ribs and a broken jaw from being beaten and kicked by a drunken owner.
It took almost a year to get Clyde to trust my wife and me; now he is very affectionate but still does not like people who are intoxicated or high. Clyde asked me if I thought there were other dogs living under the type of cruelty he was forced to live under, and I sadly told him there most likely are.
I told Clyde it could be stopped if the people of this community who have guts will start to stand up to being held hostage by people who want to do what they want without any regard for anyone else. People who abuse alcohol and other drugs tend to be abusive to others in order to satisfy their own selfish and self-centered desires, and until the people of this community decide to stand up to these behaviors, these behaviors will continue and only get worse.
Law enforcement is not able to correct the problem by itself, because even if we put an army on the streets, these people would still continue their behaviors because nobody wants to interfere. If you have a neighbor, and most of us do, that engages in illegal activities, report them. Since our current laws will not stop them the only answer is for the good people to start holding them accountable. Do it before in either cost you or someone you love their life or injuries that will never completely heal. Clyde says “thank you.”
Chuck Ripley
Polson
