Having spent a lot of time volunteering in the outdoors and interacting with dog owners in areas that require dogs to be leashed, I’ve come up with six reasons for leash laws. Given the recent Animas River Trail and other incidents, now might be a good time to share these.
1. Off leash, your dog may go where you can’t see it, thus you won’t be able to clean up after it, spreading harmful viruses, contaminating local water sources and damaging ecosystems.
2. An off-leash dog can further damage the environment by digging, chasing and killing small wildlife.
3. An encounter with another off-leash dog, as we’ve seen, could be deadly or extremely damaging to one or both.
4. If your dog is startled by someone and bites them, you are responsible for medical costs and possible damages.
5. Your dog makes new friends but upon learning they aren’t nice, turns and runs back to you with a lion or bear in pursuit.
6. Your dog stumbles on a rattlesnake and is bitten, costing thousands of dollars to save your fur baby.
Most of these scenarios would not occur if your dog was leashed. If you want them to run free, have a suitable yard or go to a designated off-leash area. Visit the national forest and other open spaces (not campgrounds) for off-leash play. These still won’t protect them from these possible outcomes, but it will sure help.
Victor Locke
Durango
