Morenci’s police news this week includes three reports of loose dogs. That number might have been below average from past years when stray dogs often dominated the incidents handled by police.

While that statistic would appear humorous to residents of a larger city where crime goes far beyond dogs and parking tickets, it’s still serious business to people living in a small town. There’s not a lot of crime here, and that’s part of why we choose to live in a rural community. On the other hand, we expect to be able to walk down the sidewalk without feeling threatened by a loose dog.

Morenci police chief Larry Weeks is pleased there are fewer complaints about dogs than in the past, but he’s still frustrated by the amount of time his officers have to spend responding to dog complaints.

He attributes the decrease in dog-related incidents to increased enforcement, to citations for repeat offenders and to the county’s pressure on dog owners to obtain licenses.

The problem still exists, however, as seen Saturday morning when a pair of bull mastiffs attacked a smaller breed, which later died from the incident.

Chief Weeks often hears from dog owners that they allow their pet to run free because it never leaves the yard. Even if that were true, a loose dog can easily frighten pedestrians of any age who should have the right to walk through town without fear of attack.

Morenci may not be the loose dog capital that it once was, but it’s still a problem. Chief Weeks knows where to put the blame. It’s not the dogs he faults, but the owners who fail to keep them in control.