Owning a dog includes a duty to the people around you. Clean up after it, keep it from becoming a nuisance, and keep it from getting out.

Pick up droppings in public, at home, and anywhere a sign requires it. A dog allowed to foul a sidewalk or a neighbor’s yard is a problem the owner chose.

When the dog is not on a leash and in your sight, it belongs in the yard. Boredom and too little exercise are common reasons dogs test a fence. Thunder and fireworks are others. Rescue dogs are especially likely to look for a way out. Keep fences in good repair, raise them if you need to, and close any gap at the ground where a dog can dig. Make sure everyone shuts the gate. Exercise, toys, and training reduce the urge to leave. They do not replace supervision.

In public, use a standard leash, not a retractable, and leave at least six feet between your dog and any dog you meet. At a dog park, stay with the dog the whole time. It is not acceptable for your dog to charge other dogs, bark at them without stopping, mount dogs or people, or show aggression toward either. A pit bull should not be turned loose with unfamiliar dogs.

A dog and a cat can share a house. Whether they should depends on both temperaments and on how they are introduced. That introduction is the owner’s job, not the animals’.