This week a resident of Greenville called the newspaper and was upset because six cats, including her own, had been killed by dogs in her neighborhood within the past three weeks.

She was very upset, as were several of her neighbors. She said that many of the dogs would roam the neighborhood in the night hours when their owners were asleep, and that therefore the owners were not aware of the problem.

The current law as written in the Greenville code concerning dogs is a "dog under control" law and it states in Article II, "'dog under control' shall mean a dog controlled by a leash, at heel, or is beside a competent person and obedient to that person's commands, or which is within the property limits of his owner."

In addition, the code states, "a dog which is dangerous or vicious shall mean a dog that has bitten or fiercely attacked a person or animal, off the premises of the dog's owner, when not provoked…any dog found in the city that is not under control is hereby declared a public nuisance and danger, and it shall be the duty of the animal control unit to take up and impound every such dog in the city pound."

The City of Greenville has created an animal control unit for residents who witness attacks or feel that a dog is not under control, and is a public nuisance.

Being a pet owner is a huge responsibility and it is important that when adopting a new pet that owners realize the work that comes with it.