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6 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,January 12, 2010 OPINION Coyote ugly Lisa Buck hopes no other pet owner has to endure the horror her family did last week when their beloved West Highland terrier, Tucker, was mortally injured while in their backyard. The likely culprit, according to Buck, was a coyote. While coyote attacks are certainly not commonplace-- we have reported on coyotes attacking family pets in previous years-- what makes this case slightly more worrisome is that it occurred in a densely-populated area on Delrex Blvd., in which there is a nearby ravine. As Jolanta Kowalski, a media relations spokesperson with the Ministry of Natural Resources, says, coyotes have adapted "really well" to urban areas across North America. Buck, herself, relayed anecdotal evidence of coyote sightings on Morden Neilson Way recently and has heard stories of cats going missing near the ravine. The Georgetown family has lived on Delrex Blvd. for 18 years and Buck said coyotes had never been a problem before. Perhaps, the "urbanization" of coyotes and other wild animals is a symptom of development. Having their natural habitat disturbed by man, coupled with cold weather making food more scarce, perhaps coyotes are simply becoming bolder in their search for food. Whatever the reason, pet owners should learn from the Buck family's misfortune. If you value your pet, do not let it run free-- especially at night. Do not assume a four-foot high fence will provide enough security for your dog (Kowalski recommends the fence be at least six-feet high). Walk your dog on a leash and spay or neuter your animal as coyotes are attracted to domestic dogs that have not been 'fixed'. Avoid having anything in your yard that could attract a coyote such as food, garbage or fruit that has fallen from trees. The Buck family tragedy should be a reminder to all who love their pets. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS How do you view the use of full-body scanners at airports? · If it makes air travel safer I have no problem with using scanners (100%) · I consider the use of scanners an invasion of privacy (0%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Tree `mutilation' upsets resident Dear editor, On Christmas Eve, while driving South on Mountainview Road towards Delrex Boulevard, I was most disappointed to note that once again there was a team of tree service employees merrily mutilating the trees on the boulevard on the east side of Mountainview Road. I have assumed this activity is Town-sanctioned-- please let me know if I am wrong. As one of the major gateways to our town, Mountainview Road introduces our town to locals and visitors alike. Tree mutilation activity of this sort leads all travellers to the conclusion that we are a community that really doesn't care about our image. I also frequently drive along Delrex Boulevard and am appalled at the mutilation of the trees along the boulevard on that route. There are huge ugly gouges out of many of the trees to accommodate the antiquated cable system. Surely there must be a better solution than that. Either remove the trees and plant more appropriate specimens or trim the trees properly to ensure a reasonable balance to the shape of them. Joan Brown, Georgetown pers board in Halton, I would like to remind everyone that January is Crime Stoppers Month. It is an opportunity for the various Crime Stoppers programs around the world to focus attention on the continuing efforts to combat crime and keep our streets safe. Crime Stoppers of Halton could not have achieved the success that we have since our formation here in 1988 without the dedicated support of the Halton Regional Police, members of the community who have contributed financially or provided tips about unsolved crime and the various media outlets which have publicized our activities and highlighted unsolved crime on an ongoing basis. I would like to thank everyone who has given support to Crime Stoppers of Halton through the years and pledge that our volunteer board of directors will continue working diligently to ensure our Crime Stoppers program has the resources to operate effectively to resolve and reduce crime in Halton Region. Tom Suddaby, chair, Crime Stoppers of Halton Support appreciated Dear editor, We would like to sincerely thank the local businesses which provided donations of food and supplies for our recent Women's Artistic Gymnastics Provincial Qualifier. The generosity of these establishments helped to make our meet a success. As well, an event of this magnitude is not possible without the commitment of a great many volunteers. We would like to thank all of the members of the HHGC competitive family for their support leading up to the qualifier, as well as many of them giving up their weekend to volunteer at the meet. Paula da Silva and Susan Detmers, meet directors, Halton Hills Gymnastics Club Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Wednesday and Friday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Crime Stoppers month Dear editor, On behalf of the Crime Stop-