Dear Editor:
…and citizens of Hoboken. Today I have learned about another dog incident of “squirrel hunting” in one of our town parks which has resulted in the savage death of one of our helpless park animals. This is the third dog attack on a squirrel in six months at Church Square Park that I know about. I was under the impression that it is against the law to intentionally allow pets to attack park animals, but for some reason no one seems to know about this rule. I have often seen dog owners urge their pets to chase squirrels, but only for a few seconds, just “for fun.” What is fun about watching a 25 pound animal attack a two pound animal in its home habitat? If it is illegal, there should be some public notice sign indicating so.
Who can blame the dogs? It is the owners who control them (or not) who should be held accountable, unless there is some rule in Hoboken that says park animals are fair game and hunting season is open anytime someone wants to have a little gruesome fun. There should be zero tolerance for this bizarre behavior, especially on public property, with school children possibly seeing these attacks and their inhumane results.
A concerned and sad Hoboken citizen