By Kate Burke
Living with Wildlife Advisory Board
As much as we love our canine companions, we have to recognize their impact on the wild animals that share our home.
Dogs are predators, and the instinct to chase both is powerful and difficult to train away. Even a short chase by a pudgy dog can be lethal to wildlife – it is ethically and legally important to keep our dogs under control.
Wild animals live by their wits and by the generosity of the season – or, occasionally, people’s leavings. Every calorie they find is precious and, unlike us, they are not looking for ways to burn them; they must conserve nutrients and energy to make it through the tough seasons. An unexpected flight started by an enthusiastic dog can have catastrophic results.
Particularly in winter, the energy and fat stores expended running from a dog can mean the difference between getting through the following weeks and succumbing to malnutrition and starvation. It is not just a matter of calories – the cascade of chemicals and hormones resulting from serious stress causes a whole slate of physical problems.
Late in winter, wild animals may be pregnant, making the added stress and energy expenditure that much more dangerous to the mother and her offspring. Animals also might get injured in the flight itself, failing to clear fences or fleeing onto a busy road.
Domestic dogs have a significant advantage over the wild animals they chase. Our dogs are fed nutrient-dense food daily. They are (hopefully) free of weakening diseases or parasites. They sleep comfortably for many hours a day, retaining the energy they get with their food. Pitting them against the wild animals that have none of these comforts is just unfair.
Chasing wild animals also endangers the dogs. They can be hurt in the chase, or by a desperate animal deciding to defend itself. Dog owners can be injured by wild animals provoked by their dogs. And in some instances, dogs might be shot.
Any law enforcement officer is authorized to shoot a dog that is harassing wildlife. From a legal perspective, wild animals belong to the state, and laws at every level of government allow for protection of wild animals at the expense of pets.
In La Plata County, outside of city limits, any person is authorized to “take appropriate measures, which may include destruction” when a dog is harassing or endangering wildlife. However, before shooting a dog, a person first must try all other reasonable means to interrupt a dog’s activities.
It is illegal to allow dogs to run at large inside most city limits, including Durango and in La Plata County.
In Durango, that means dogs must be attended in their own yards, on a leash or inside a contained area such as a car (unless they are in a designated, off-leash area).
In the county, dog owners must keep their dogs under physical restraint, on their own property or under voice control. Dogs may be off leash on some areas of federal land (some Bureau of Land Management Land or Forest Service areas) but completely are prohibited in others (such as designated wilderness areas or national parks).
Even if a dog has been under control or in a designated off-leash area, it still can be destroyed, and the owner is subject to fines, if the dog chases wild animals. Dogs may be considered legally “vicious” after attacks on wildlife, which can lead to further owner fines, impoundment and even euthanasia.
No good comes of pet dogs chasing and harassing wild animals. Please exercise your dogs safely and legally, and let the wild animals make their way.
Kate Burke, a local attorney, is a member of the La Plata County Living with Wildlife Advisory Board. For more information about wildlife issues, visit www.wildsmart.org.
