In Jackson Park in Peterborough yesterday around 5:30.
Imagine you are going for a nice run. You see a dog off leash ahead of two women on the trail. The dog crosses the trail and starts heading toward you.
You stop in your tracks, call to the woman and say “Please put your dog on a leash”.
The woman tells you “Just keep walking, my dog won’t bother you, he just wants to say ‘Hi’”.
You say “Please put your dog on a leash. I have been attacked by a dog so I’m not comfortable around loose dogs. Besides there is a law and a $5,000 fine for having your dog off leash.”
She says “Why can’t we just all get along? Why does my dog need to be on a leash? That’s not fair to me or my dog.”
In a nutshell she was saying:
- ‘getting along’ means I get to do what I want regardless of the City Bylaws
- interrupt your run to accommodate me
- “I’m special” – my needs and my dog’s needs take precedence over your rights and the law
How would you respond?
Not sure how I would respond in that scenario. I would certainly be tempted to say something, but I don’t see much point in trying to reason with those types of people. They clearly think the world revolves around them and their dogs. I would probably have just rolled my eyes, shook my head, and kept running.
I always have the telephone number of the local Bylaw enforcement on my cell phone. Every time I see an off-leash dog I call and complain. I will also take pictures and email a complaint. It works; more people need to do the same. The more that people complain the sooner we will get results. Dog owners need to understand the while some people are polite, we generally don’t want to be harassed, jumped or licked by their dog. Dogs are all potentially dangerous whether they are terrifying a child or knocking down an elderly person. If I speed through a school zone in a car, or park in a no parking area I get a ticket – zero tolerance and rightly so. There need to be a zero tolerance approach to people who un-leash their dogs. They know it is wrong and maybe a few ticked for breaking the law will help solve the problem.
Municipalities should not give the responsibility of administering the animal control bylaws to the Humane Society. It’s akin to putting a fox in charge of the hen house.
Excellent ideas! I love the idea of pictures and a cellphone call to the humane society. I am going to start that immediately. Duncan (from the humane society) did say he was open to ideas ….
But I guess you know the actual fine for having a dog off leash!? Not even close the 5k!! Hahahahahaaa!
Your right! The actual fine is $0.00 which is the problem – everyone knows that. However, the sign on the way into Jackson Park (the one near Bonaccord) actually states the fine is $5,000. I pointed out the sign to someone last year, they just laughed.