To the editor:

If Vice Mayor Charles Brown doesn’t understand what the “rush” is to restrict dog tethering in Suffolk, I challenge him to spend a few hours standing in his backyard in his shirt sleeves (“Duman gets tethering vote,” 2/21).

It’s freezing out there. If we couldn’t stand it for a few hours, imagine what it must be like for the dogs in our neighborhoods that are forced to spend night after night out in the cold. Dogs’ fur is not sufficient to keep them warm, and many chained dogs lack adequate shelter.

Instead of being puzzled about citizens’ eagerness to help dogs that are suffering on chains, Vice Mayor Brown might consider following the lead of Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, who made the news for helping dogs. On learning that a dog was left outdoors in subfreezing temperatures recently, Mayor Booker didn’t hesitate to scoop up the shivering pup and give the dog’s owners a stern warning that leaving animals outside in the cold is unacceptable.

Now, that’s real leadership.

Janet Hawkins

Suffolk