Last week, we talked about dogs running loose in on-leash areas. This week, we have information on what you can do to encourage scofflaw owners to follow the law: Report off-leash dogs running loose.
Mobile phones have become mandatory dog-walking accessories. Carry yours in a closed pocket where you can access it immediately. Snap a photo or two of the loose dog or dogs as soon as they appear, if you can do that without endangering yourself or your dog. Should the dog’s owner/s show up, snap a photo or photos of them, as well, if you are not afraid that will make the situation worse.
The photos you take will allow you to report specific dogs and owners to animal control later, when the situation has calmed down so that you and your dog are in a safe place to make the call. You might want to wait until you’re home on your computer, if need be, so you can send specific information in an e-mail, accompanied by the photos. Give date, time, and location, plus anything else you observed about the dog/s and owner/s . . . including whether or not the dog was wearing a collar with tags. (What color was the collar? What else do you remember about it?) The more information you are able to give, the more likely it is that you will make identifying the owner and the dog/s possible. If you know where, or near where, the owner lives, that helps, too!
Whether or not you receive an acknowledgment, follow up on your contact with animal control. Be pleasant (because that usually works better) but persistent. Loose dogs and negligent owners are animal control’s business. If you feel your concerns are not being addressed, get in touch with the boss: the head of animal control. If you are unhappy with the boss’s response, you have every right and good reason to contact your elected local representative—the City Council member for your district, for example—and (again pleasantly) explain your concerns and your frustrations.
Don’t take “That’s not our job,” for an answer. It’s somebody’s job. Find out who “somebody” is and contact that person. If you feel you’re truly getting the old run-around, be brave enough to contact the media. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, contact a TV reporter who takes on community concerns, find other citizens who’ve not been listened to and work together. Your elected officials must hear from concerned citizens—in numbers—to understand that a problem exists and that those citizens expect their elected officials to come up with an answer.
“So I am not sure if it is worth reporting the law-breaking incident of dog(s) running loose or not. My neighbor has his dog off-leash routinely and no, it does not follow his ‘voice’ commands. But it seems like anyone who has the power to do anything—issue a citation, etc.—is too busy, and this is a low priority to those that have any power. Is that correct?”
I agree with the person who wrote this comment. It does seem that loose dogs are a low priority. But what if your young children were repeatedly attacked by other young children when you were out walking as a family? Do you think your calls to 911 would result in a police response?
Your job as a responsible citizen, I think, is to make the report—again, and again, and again, if necessary. As a neighbor, you may be able to avoid a confrontation with the scofflaw whose dogs are running loose. That is probably advisable, especially if you have reason to believe any attempt to discuss the issue would be met with anger and resentment from your neighbor.
In cases in which there has not been an actual attack and a resulting formal complaint, most animal control agencies do not inform the scofflaw who has reported the infractions—only that infractions have been reported. The more neighbors who report those loose dogs, the more attention will be paid. Animal control agencies may well send an officer to the scofflaw’s home both to investigate the complaints and to be sure that the dogs are licensed, vaccinated, and safely contained, as well as properly cared for. That visit will put your neighbors on notice that their behavior is not acceptable in your community and that further complaints may result in monetary fines.
What happens when everyone figures that no one in charge will do anything?
“[A] 78-year-old client [is] in the hospital today because she slipped and broke her leg trying to get her small leashed dog away from an approaching off-leash dog who was about as responsive to his owner as a two-year-old child at Disneyland.”
At age 78, broken bones can be life-threatening. This woman, who was only trying to protect her small dog, may well recover—but will her life ever be the same? Should she have to continue to fear another incident that might be even worse? Should the owner of the dog who ran at her suffer no consequences? What if the 78-year-old woman had instead broken her back?
“I used to walk my little pom on his leash and always run into people walking their large dogs (typically two) off-leash, who then would proceed to barrel up to my pom. I’d always have to scoop him up in my arms. Of course the lax owners would always say, ‘Oh, don’t worry. They’re friendly,’ while my poor dog would be trembling in my arms. People are the problem!”
People are the problem. But, in turn, people can be the solution. Our dogs can’t contact animal control, but we can. Our dogs can’t call the mayor, but we can. Our dogs have the right to walk safely on leash in public areas where they are allowed. And we have the right to report anyone who endangers that right—endangers us and our dogs—by flat-out disobeying the law. I think we should exercise that right anytime we encounter a loose dog in an on-leash area. Report it!
