To the Editor:

Years ago, in North Jersey, my dad was bitten quite badly in the stomach by an unleashed dog as he was out for his daily constitutional. Naturally, his fear of dogs was born, as was mine. For years I would cross the street or turn back when I saw a large dog. If one came near me, I would scream uncontrollably. I’m not proud of that, but the fear was deeply ingrained. It took me years to overcome the fear, and finally I was even able to stop and pet dogs I encountered.

Then two or three years ago, on my daily beach trek, I came upon a woman who had just been attacked and bitten quite…

November 15, 2017