Note: The following letter was written by a sixth-grader in Mrs. LaSala’s St. Regis Mohawk School class as part of a class assignment.

Dear Editor,

The problem that I want to fix is dog fighting in Ahkwesahsne. The dogs that are fighting die or get badly injured and they suffer. Some people are very fond of their dogs and get very angry if their dogs are hurt if they suffer. People are crazy enough to try to stop a dog fight and they get hurt, too. Why would they need to stop a dog fight if all the dogs are tied up? Dog fighting is illegal and the owners of the dogs are getting fines. The dogs that are fighting owners get mad at each other. Every once in a while, you can hear a gun shot on the Island and I always wonder if a dog is being shot for fighting.

I think that when you get a dog, you should get one you can take care of, and people who can take care of those big dogs, like a trainer who is very good with dogs can try to have big dogs. You should get a small little house-dog. You shouldn’t get a big dog you are scared to go near. For example; my bubba had a pit-bull on a chain and I was scared to go near him, when I finally went near him, he tried to rip my foot off. Maybe you can buy an invisible fence; you put the collar on the dog and when he or she goes outside the fence, they get shocked and the dogs should be smart enough to go back. When I was online, I found a really good, cheap, invisible fence, it was $163.00.

I chose to write about dog fighting because I live on Cornwall Island. My sister, brother, and I can’t even go outside to play in our yard without being chased by a dog. I also chose this problem because you can’t walk down the road without seeing a dog fight, and then you try to run away and they chase you. One of my friends was trying to stop a dog fight that was happening when she was walking by and one of the dogs tore a piece of skin off her palm.

Some research I found was that the Humane Society estimates that 40,000 dog fights take place in the United States each year. Dog fights are also a felony for the owner in 48 states. The breed of choice in the United States is the American Pit-bull Terrier, but they were made to be babysitters for royal families, that’s why they fight, because after that they are usually looking for affection from their owner. Animal cruelty and dog fighting are both crimes. People are not going to the parks anymore because they see too violent, earless pit-hulls trying to kill each other. People should stop and take time to train their dogs to be obedient and gentle, not violent and mean things.

Some solutions are to show affection when they do good, like sit down, lay down. when you tell them to. Teach dogs to be nice and not mean (when my dog is being bad, or mean, I yell at her.) If dogs don’t listen, you should buy an invisible fence. All you have to do is buy the fence and put the collar on your dog so your dog can’t leave the yard, or they’ll get shocked, and they should be

smart enough to go back into your yard. Tie up your dog to a tree with a chain or something that gets nailed into the ground and then you put the chain on it, if you can’t afford the invisible fence. You could also get house dogs or young puppies so that you can teach them to listen to you.

Please think about what I am saying. You can get invisible fences, chains to keep your dog protected so they can’t harm other dogs. For example: There was three or four dogs that weren’t tired up and my dog was tied us. My dog just had five puppies that were running around in front of her. Those four dogs came in the yard and started chasing one puppy. They ended up killing him. My puppy was only five months old and my dog couldn’t do anything because she as tied up. Please tie up your dogs so your dog doesn’t get hurt trying to fight. One thing, there is a leash law on Cornwall Island and people with their dogs running around usually get a fine. Get inside dogs, so you don’t have to spend money on fences or leashes and chains. Just think about nobody having to be sad about a dead dog or somebody being made at another person because their dog is hurt. Talk to police officers to help enforce this law more. Please make sure your dog is tied up.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Kahawis