Quick — do you know the leash laws in your neighborhood or town? If you live in an apartment complex, do you know their pet rules?
More importantly… do you obey the leash laws of your community?
It’s a problem I’ve run into WAY too often in my apartment complex. I have at least two neighbors who just open their doors and let their dogs out to run around the parking lot unsupervised. There are so many things wrong with this — the dog could get hit by a car in the parking lot, the dog could get stolen, the dog could just wander off and get lost.
Or in my case, the dog could come after a person who is walking their dogs.
Unless your dog has perfect recall — and by that I mean you call them and they come every time, without hesitation, under ANY circumstance — a dog should be on a leash when they are not in a fenced area. But I have several neighbors who refuse to walk their dogs on-leash, and just stand in the parking lot while the dog roams.
In full view of the owner, my dogs and I have been chased and menaced by unleashed dogs — dogs who are growling and demonstrating aggressive body language — and the owner has done nothing. I have to yell “Will you please call your dog?” for them to do anything. My dogs get riled up, I get upset, and the other dog gets riled up.
The apartment complex where I live has very clear rules about dog ownership — all dogs must be walked on-leash (it’s in the lease). But if I report an unleashed dog, the management can’t do anything unless I know what apartment they came from. So in order to protect myself and my dogs, I have to turn into a stalker and spy on these people to figure out where they live?
A friend suggested printing a copy of the lease AND the local leash laws and leaving them under every door in the complex — that way, the people with dogs would definitely get the message. It’s legal for me to do, provided I get a door-to-door solicitor badge from the town first. (And yes, I just looked that up to see if I could distribute materials door to door!) But I wish the owners would step up and take responsibility for their dogs without such dramatic measures!
I know it’s a losing battle in a place where there’s at least three different piles of dog poop less than SIX FEET from the poop bag dispenser. If people can’t be bothered to pick up after their pets when it’s so easy, why would they worry about anyone else in the complex?
Still, if you want to be a responsible pet owner, be sure you know your town’s leash laws (and your complex or neighborhood’s laws, as they may be different).