Leash it!

Here at Bill Foundation we always tell our new dog parents about the importance of using a leash on your pet. We hear countless horror stories about dogs being hit by cars, leashed pets being attacked by lose dogs and other equally bad situations. Here are a few of the stories told to us by owners who experienced a bad Off Leash Dog situation. If these stories don't change your mind, read the Ten Reasons to Leash It!

Ziggy:

Ziggy, who is always on leash, was attacked by a loose Rottie owned by a careless neighbor, as we were attempting to get in my vehicle! His injuries ended up costing $300 for drainage tube and stitches. The Rottie's owner only ended up paying half of the expenses and it took them about a year to do even that. Even worse, they still allow their dog(s) to roam unsupervised.

Sailor :

A Jindo named Sailor - used to charge my dogs all the time. Luckily, Opal, my Chow, has a long coat and he would only get a mouthful of her hair. Sailor's owner would do nothing, just laugh. I started dreading my once enjoyable walks on the trails of Elysian Park because I was always thinking I'd encounter him. I found out recently from my friend who lives around the corner from them, that they had Sailor euthanized because he killed the neighbors' cat for the 2nd or 3rd time. The thought never occurred to them that building a secure fence or keeping him indoors would have prevented all of the above catastrophes, including his death! I love to see my dogs running and having fun, but not at the expense of their safety, nor of the enjoyment of others who are in abeyance of the leash laws.

Wilma:

At one of our adoption fairs a Bill Foundation volunteer was told this story by a prospective parent: 

They told me that their dog is so trained (more like well-behaved) that they rarely have her on leash. She went into great detail about how she goes to a local park (that is not a designated off-leash dog park) and lets her dog off leash. She has been cited three times by AC and has paid a total of $270 in fines for having her dog off leash. She said that she didn't care about the fines and would continue to take her dog there. TBF politely mentioned that in a situation like that she could be legally responsible for anything that might occur as a result of her dog being off leash. She told us that she already knew that because it happened to another person in the park. This person's dog (off leash) saw a man walking his dog on leash, ran over to the leashed dog "only to say hello." The leashed dog freaked out and wrapped the leash around his owner's legs and the owner fell and had to be taken to the hospital. I was shocked that even after that event, she was determined to continue to let her dog run off leash in this same park. Her concern seemed to be that AC was out to get her and the other people in the park and were "staking them out" to cite them.

Rudy :

In my own neighborhood, at least once a week I have to deal with unleashed dogs who charge towards me and my leashed dogs. I am so tired of people who  think that their dogs are so trained that they won't set foot off of their front lawn. There's a woman who lives on my street who refuses to put a leash on her semi-wild Weimeraner. That dog walks 30 feet in front of her and not always on the sidewalk. He charged toward me so now we cross the street when I see her coming, and go the opposite way. I have a friend who lives across the street from this woman and my friend is always telling me that her dog runs out onto Riverside Dr. and has had some close calls with cars.

Ollie

When I first started fostering my Ollie, he was attacked by a yellow lab who was off leash. He had three huge gashes in his hindquarter and ended up having lots of stitches and drains in his legs for almost a month. Fortunately, the owner/guardian was mortified and ended up paying close to $600 in emergency room fees. Just last month, my 75 lb. Austin was bitten on the base of his tail by an off leash dog. That cost me $50 because the owner was not identified. I have been charged by Jack Russells, Springer Spaniels and even a nasty Maltese mix. So you see why I am so intolerant.

Top 10 Reasons to leash your pet