Who Let The Dogs Out?!

The other day I was mowing the grass, and I came across a cute little frog. I caught it in a cup and brought it up to the deck so the kids could see it hop around. They were enjoying the little critter immensely, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, these two huge bulldog-looking dogs appeared in our yard. I told the dogs to "get," and instead of politely leaving my yard, they began to growl and bark. I quickly moved the kids inside, and I think Weston was just a bit traumatized. He began telling Jeff about the dogs quite animatedly, and the next day he didn't want to go outside, which is highly unusual for him. Then, when we saw Jeff's aunt and uncle and their two little dogs over the weekend, Weston didn't really want to have much to do with the dogs, which he normally loves. It absolutely infuriates me when pet owners let their animals run wild--especially dogs. We don't have pets, and there are many good reasons for that. I don't like to feel "threatened" when I'm in my own yard, minding my own business. I think if you are the pet owner it is your responsibility to have a fence or a leash and keep your animals under control. If you can't do that, then you shouldn't have the animals to begin with. I'm sure the owners of these dogs would probably say, "But they are quite harmless. They just wanted to play." That's all well and good, but we had no way of knowing that, and they certainly didn't seem friendly. If they want to play, they should be playing in their own yard with people who actually want them around. If you own a dog, I think you should go to the park with it and play frisbee. I think you should watch it chase squirrels. I think you should let it lick you all over the face, if you enjoy that sort of thing. But don't impose your lovable (in your eyes) little pooch on me and my family.