I couldn't agree more with James George (letters, Acorn, June 12) when he stated "No Simi Valley resident should be given unchecked authority to harass his or her neighbor," because that is the status quo in Simi Valley.

I and others I know have neighbors who leave their dog or dogs unattended, outside for hours on end, day and night. They have tacitly been given unchecked authority to harass their neighbors by way of their dogs by a nonresponsive animal control agency.

Their blatant disregard for their neighbors' right to peace and quiet has gone unchallenged long enough. This situation only gets worse during the warm months when it would be nice to leave doors and windows open, but we can't because of nonstop barking.

Ventura County Animal Control's policy clearly shows what a low priority this is to them. Fortunately, the Simi Valley City Council places more value on our quality of life than the county agency does.

It's time to take care of business at the local level, and I support any ordinance the council puts forth to alleviate this problem. Mark Medina Simi Valley