Park Lake/Highland Neighborhood Association

My name is Mark Elliott and I reside at 941 N. Thornton Avenue.  I am sure many of my neighbors wonder why I avoid having any contact with your dogs and my two springer spaniels...to the point that I will cross to the other side of the street to avoid having my dogs come into contact with yours.  My dogs have been attacked by an unleashed border collie belonging to a Margaret Lam who resideds at 815 Woodward Street...not once, but so many times that my own spaniels have lost the ability to be social to any approaching dogs.  Ms. Lam continues to walk this border collie off leash and this past Sunday, 2/28/16, after barely avoiding another confrontation with her collie in Lake Highland Park, I took my dogs home and drove to her home to ask her to please use a leash and buy a muzzle for this collie.  It was at that moment the collie came charging down the driveway at me.  Having had enough of her irresponsible behavior, I charged back and kicked this collie in the face as it lunged at my throat.  I called 911 and found that the police do not always "serve and protect" and was told this is a civil matter.  I have filed a complaint with animal control.  I am asking as a considerate dog owner and neighbor that if any of you see this Margaret Lam with this dog off leash, usually proceeding down Terrace Blvd, and also off leash in Lake Highland Park to join me in calling animal control.  This dog is going to seriously injure our dogs, ourselves, and your children if we cannot in some form convince Margaret Lam to contain her dog.  I've been an idiot for letting this go on for several years, trying to be a good neighbor and fooling myself into thinking the dog being loose was always just an accident.  But after confronting her and realizing I am dealing with a woman who has no regard for anyone's safety but her own, I just felt I should reach out to the neighborhood and am open to any suggestions that may alleviate this situation.  No dog owner should have to walk their dogs in fear of an unleashed  dog and having to look around every corner before proceeding in fear this border collie is off  leash and coming for my spaniels again.  If it comes for me again, I will do everything physically possible to defend myself, even if that means killing this dog.  That is how horrifying and out of hand this has become.