In response to “Dog Laws” which appeared in the Nov. 22-28 issue of North Country This Week: It is not inhumane to tie up a dog, depending on the reason for tying him up. Especially when you have to leave for a long period of time and the dog would chew the house to pieces, or was a breakout artist. Occasionally our dogs would get tied up if we had to leave them unattended for more than a few minutes. It does not make dogs mean, unless they are also mistreated. Ignoring them could make the mean too, but I never came across one. I know of a dog that was tied up outdoors on a farm. He was an alert dog that watched over the barn and fields and just loved any kind of attention from humans. He was always treated well, winter or summer; even had a heated doghouse in the winter. Only ignorant people who mistreat their dogs and ignore them sometimes end up with a mean dog. If you see a dog tied up without food, water, shelter, report the owners.