UNLEASHED: A “Tail” of Dogs Acting Like Dogs

I love my perfect dog.

I’m sure you love your perfect dog, too.

There. Our dogs are perfect and lovable. Now let’s list some of their other traits:

1. big teeth
2. claws
3. powerful chase instinct
4. endless appetite
5. enthusiasm for barking
6. inability to tell time
7. bad at following traffic laws
8. notoriously poor judgment
9. miscellaneous quirks

(Photo: My Perfect Dog Who Uses Bad Judgement Around Bathroom Trashcans.)

Yet, during the summer months (well, in all the other months, too), many of us are tempted to give our dogs their favorite treat — TRUST.

That’s why we see this stuff on neighborhood association facebook pages:

“A big, spotted dog just ran through my yard heading east on Fill-in-the-Blank Street. It really scared my kids!”

“Oh. He’s mine. He usually stays on the porch. I’ll go out and call him.”

In the olden days, everybody let their dogs roam. We opened up our front doors and released them into the world to sniff and chase and dig as they saw fit. Usually they came back. But sometimes we found their lifeless bodies on the side of a road (see #s 3, 6 and 7 above). It’s a sad lesson for a child (and a dog) to learn.

It took time for me to fully appreciate leashes.  About 20 years ago I had a Perfect Black Lab that once ran into my neighbors’ living room (What?!) and licked all their guests. That same Perfect Black Lab also freaked out in a thunderstorm one night and ran into the path of a different neighbor’s car. Dog and neighbor survived, but it was a painful lesson for everyone – especially our dog, since it broke her pelvis.

Never mind the problems unleashed dogs cause for themselves — our lovable, furry friends also BITE more than 4.5 million people each year in the U.S. And according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), at least half of the victims are children. More than 800,000 people get medical attention for dog bites annually (Ouch!), and animal-related car accidents cause roughly 10,000 injuries each year. Dogs also injure and kill thousands of other dogs and pets annually.

Clearly, loose dogs can dramatically reduce the quality of life in a community.

Good laws help us do the right thing — especially when the wrong thing is way easier.  It’s pretty easy to let our dogs babysit themselves. But they aren’t very adept at it, so the law puts humans in charge.

Yeah, pets will occasionally escape the grasp of even the most conscientious owner. But if our dogs are routinely out on the town without us, stealing wallets and buying dog biscuits while we’re at home posting dinner photos on Instagram — maybe it’s time to head to doggie boot camp.

Let’s acknowledge that all dogs are not equally threatening; if our dog is especially strong and big, so is our responsibility. There’s a reason that “Cujo” (the sweet-dog-turned-rabid-monster horror movie) was about a Saint Bernard (weighing in at 120-200 lbs) instead of a Yorkie (weighing in at 5-7 lbs).  Raise your hand if you’d rather be “mauled” by a Chihuahua than a Bullmastiff (NOTE: Everybody’s hand is up.).  If they’re strong enough, even friendly dogs can accidentally hurt (or frighten) people.  An unattended, powerful-looking dog can put an entire neighborhood on edge.

Ninety percent of dog lovers are responsible. I bet YOU are in that 90 percent.

You understand that a dog is a dog — not a person with a fabulous fur coat. You know a dog is happiest with its people “pack,” not tied to a tree by itself (WARNING: the CDC reports that isolated, chained up, unneutered male dogs are almost 3 times as likely to bite as other dogs). And if your dog does spend some time alone in a fenced yard (visible or invisible), I’m sure you bring Rover inside when he barks, instead of making your neighbors Google dog whistle websites.

You’re probably also familiar with these excerpts from the Goshen City Code:

“All animals found running at large shall be impounded.”  (Probably wild chipmunks and rabbits are off the hook; but you get the gist.)

And…

“…any such animal or dog… which is untethered shall be determined to be ‘running at large.'”

And…

“It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or harbor any cross, vicious or unruly animal” 

And…

“The owner of any animal shall be responsible for any damages to the person or property of others caused by said animal while running at large.”

Goshen’s got the laws.

If there are loose dogs in your neighborhood that make you feel unsafe, call the police.

If possible, get a video of the unleashed dog. It will help the responding officer justify issuing a citation. If you can’t get a photo or video, make it clear to the police that you’re willing to sign a sworn statement that you witnessed the dog roaming (or growling, or attacking another dog — whatever it is you saw).

Of course, the real goal is not to FORCE our neighbors to comply with laws, but to PERSUADE them that we all benefit from a dose of consideration. But if your kind, polite requests fall flat, you do have recourse.

If it’s YOUR dog that routinely strolls the neighborhood, sniffing and snapping at animals (or people), please review the dog trait list and reconsider the trust you’ve granted Buster.

I know. He’s perfect. But still.