D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February
2008
Scaling the Wall
Thanks to Marjorie Lilly for an outstanding job of on-the-ground reporting from Palomas ("Life on the Edge," January). Her article helped scale the wall that increasingly separates us from those who are struggling, only 70 miles away. That was a superb piece of journalism.
Bill Charland
Silver City
Pooch Problems Near and Far
I sympathize with the plight of Larry Lightner and the pack of loose dogs he tussles with (Ramblin' Outdoors, November 2007). My husband and I live on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, in rural Virginia, where unsupervised dogs are a divine right for some of our otherwise friendly, helpful and kind neighbors. You get bitten? It's your own fault for bein' there. You don't want to be assaulted? You ought not be down here, even if it IS a public road.
We too carry loaded handguns to protect ourselves from dogs and have had the opportunity to use them. The first chamber is loaded with a bird-shot round. So far, only one shot at close range has been required to stop any aggressive canine behavior. The round makes a lot of noise and I imagine feels from the dog's perspective like a handful of sand thrown into its face with the force of whatever god dogs worship. Off they go. So far, they do not come back. If for some reason the first shot doesn't do the trick, the second one will.
Lord love ya, Larry, for your compassion toward the children who might be companions of your problem dogs. I've lost my compassion. I've been chased and knocked off my bicycle by these bad boys (the dogs, not their owners). I've been nipped and bitten while walking. My own (leashed) dog has sustained injury as a result of dog attacks and I've sustained sprains and bruises after getting tangled up in the fray. The owners never see these animals in action and can't imagine any reason to address it, video and photographic proof and complaints from other neighbors notwithstanding. You might want to consider that the dogs and their owners are not looking out for your welfare as carefully as you are looking out for theirs.
Give the bird shot a try. We have seen no evidence that it injures the dogs; apparently their fur is thick enough to deflect the shot. If you can't find bird shot, consider a blank round. The noise alone might be enough to intimidate a dog.
Cindi Kaiser deCapiteau
Heathsville, Virginia
Car Caption
I just want to tell you how much I enjoy your newspaper. I grew up in Southwestern Texas and have always loved New Mexico and its beautiful scenery and its history. However, I must tell you that you made an error in the November issue ("The Dream of Icarus"). You had a photograph of a 1957 automobile that you called a Chevy Silverhawk. Actually, it is a 1957 Studebaker Silverhawk. I am 72 years old and I remember the beautiful cars that they were.
Jon O. McDonald
Silver City
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