Leash law enforcement (Los Angeles, West Hollywood: house, employment, neighborhood)

[CALGUY]

For some time now I haver been posting here regarding my efforts to educate the dog owning public about the leash law.
I have been called a variety of names by some forum members because I felt it important to inform dog owners of the serious consequences of letting one's dog run free of leash in a public area.
Well today, one unleashed dog paid the ultimate price for the stupidity of it's owner, and just as a side note, I approached this owner some time ago when I spotted her dogs off leash in the same park.
At that time, she ignored what I had to say.
I handed her the literature that I give a dog owner when I see their dog of leash.
She took it and left.
I don't know if she read it or not, but my guess is she didn't.
Today she was in that same park, and her small dog who was off leash was attacked and killed by a coyote, right in front of her.
That dog did not have to die.
The owner has to accept what has happened, but the truth is, the only reason that dog is dead is because this stupid woman refused to obey the law.
As sad as it is to lose a beloved pet, and when one is forced to witness such a terrible occurence, the law is still very clear when it comes to confining one's dog to a leash.
Just because you have a small dog that you don't think can be a problem to other dogs, the result could work just the opposite like what happened today.
Your unleashed dog could be seriously hurt, or killed, but somehow the people whome I confront don't seem to think this could happen to their pet.
Think about this one paragraph for a minute: Today that woman put her two dogs in her vehicle, drove up the hills to the park, let them out to run free, just as she has done many times before.
I would bet it is safe to say, the thought never entered her mind that she would be driving into the park with two dogs, and only leaving with one.
Just imagine if you can, the hurt this woman must be feeling.
Now, imagine this happening to you.
Put yourself in that park with your beloved animals, then suddenly one is attacked right before your eyes.
This is a graphic description, but it is done for one reason, and one reason only, to make each and every dog owner on this forum more aware of the dangers involved when you let your dogs run off leash.
Please, if you care about your animals, don't for one minute allow your dogs to run loose in a public area.
The park where this attack took place is less than 1/4 mile from my house, and I frequent it often.
It is well known for it's coyote population, which only magnifies the reality that one should always protect their dog form a potential attack.
When interview by the television news, the woman's husband stated "we have been bringing our dogs heasr for four years, and never a problem".
Well, it only takes a brief second to change that cronology.
As I stated in my many other post on this subject, I am not out to win brownie points from anyone, just one person trying to help fellow pet owners from having to go through somethiong as devistating as what happened this morning.
PLEASE, PLEASE, think twice before allowing your dog to run off leash.
Bob.

[Lovehound]

I don't give a rat's ass about the safety of peoples' dogs. What I care about is the safety of the public, i.e. me.

I take my exercise frequently in my local neighborhood (Northridge) and I find now that in my daily hikes I'm followed or have seen serious aggressive interest in about 2-3 times a month, and just recently I've taken to carrying pepper spray, although haven't had to use it yet.

I've discussed the situation with postal letter carriers (USPS) and they too find themselves frequently confronted by free running dogs.

Honestly folks, what's the big deal about either keeping your dog in your yard or leashing it if not at home? You let it run loose and you turn it into a problem for the public, endangering either the public or your dog or both.

Put a leash on it. It's the law.

[Patrolman]

Sorry to say that I've had to drop the hammer on more than one unleashed dog that was menacing the public. Some people in this world just don't get it. Unfortunately, it is their pet that suffers the fatal consequences.

[SeptemberRays]

I hate when people let their dogs roam free AND when they don't clean up
after them.

[CALGUY]

Originally Posted by SeptemberRays

I hate when people let their dogs roam free AND when they don't clean up
after them.

To those who feel the same way, I would suggest you get involved with this campaign to help educate the dog owners about the leash law and the consequences of ignoring it.
You can PM me for the information on how to become more involved.
Thanks,
Bob.

[trackjen]

I have 2 dogs and they are always on a leash. I hate it when people let their dogs off leash in a "on-leash park only" area off Curson ave in west hollywood. My dogs have been attacked many times by off-leash dogs and I'm tires od thbose stupid owners. Where to complain? Can they follow the law? There are plenty off-leash parks in L.a so they should be respectul of the people who don't wanna be bothered by dogs and responsible owners who follow the law

[CALGUY]

Being whereas West Hollywood is a seperate city, you might ask your city officials who is responsible for animal control in West Hollywood, then get in touch with the office and ask them to step up patrols in the park in question.
Take your concerns before the city council if you get no results.
Complain often, and you WILL be heard.
I have asked all the tv stations in Los Angeles to run a psa on the subject, but have not had any success yet, but I will keep at it until they are tired of seeing me.
Bob.

[Lovehound]

I'm often confronted by dogs during my routine exercise walk in my local neighborhood. Sometimes I'm confronted by dogs with threatening behavior, sometimes they're separated by a thin fence (often 3 feet high in the front yard) and the dogs lunge out at me barking so loud their bark hurts my ears. Sometimes it's anything from a little puppy to a dog weighing as much as I do, loose on the street (presumably near the owner's house) and I have no idea if the dog is friendly or wild/vicious. How can you tell if a dog is vicious until after it has/hasn't bitten you? What information do you have before you've been bitten that the dog is not dangerous?

I've taken to carrying pepper spray when I go on my hikes. I've taken it out several times (usually at the first sight of a dog running without a leash) but I haven't had to use it yet.

I'm prepared to use it on the owner too when I spray the dog and the owner gets "pushed" off that I pepper sprayed his/her dog.

I walk my dog too and he's always on a leash. And he's been threatened too by loose dogs. One time he and I were threatened by a dog that weighed about 100 pounds, apparently yet still a puppy, and I picked my own dog up into my arms and protected him (tried to). It turned out only small kids were watching this loose dog and the biggest kid tried to stop him and grabbed the dog by the waist, and the dog just ignored him and kept coming on. It turned out evidently that the dog was just curious but it scared the "shoot" out of me, and for a few moments I was considering protecting my dog by risking my life.

It's a damned shame that Animal Control can't punish owners who let their dogs run loose without leashes. And this is the damned streets not parks! In this era of higher taxes and reduced services evidently it's too expensive for Animal Control to do their jobs. They're probably more worried about continued employment and protecting their generous pensions to worry about the safety of the public.

[415_s2k]

I had a roommate who had a Welsh Corgi who was super-protective, and although he never got into it with people, someone in our building had a 100-lb mutt who they would walk off-leash frequently, and the dogs got into a few tiffs that I had to stop.

Well, one day, she left her door open a bit, and her dog ran down a flight of stairs and outside to attack my roommate's dog, who was on a leash, as always. My roommate was a bit easily-spooked and evidently just stood there screaming as her corgi went thermonuclear and decimated the neighbor's dog despite him being three times bigger: our neighbor had to rush her dog to the vet and it had to have emergency surgery. At one point, the corgi got the other dog's neck and was basically trying to kill it, and it got its backside pretty deep after it finally tried to run away.

...and the woman then came after us (me included, even though it wasn't my dog and I wasn't there), and threatened to take us to court for the vet bills. We eventually levelled with her that my roommate was in law school and that her case would get thrown out immedeately, after which we would countersue her on principle and for wasting our time and money, but I was absolutely disgusted that someone would try to come after us for their failure to rein in their pet, which is a failure to abide the law on their part.

There are plenty of dogs out there that are perfectly well-behaved and, on their own, totally fine to walk offleash, but the fact of the matter is that there are plenty of other dogs who are ill-behaved, and who will attack.

[Lovehound]

There is no question that everybody must control their own dogs in the city (i.e. your dog cannot ever be out of your house or a fenced area except when on a leash). Anybody whose dog is running loose no matter what the reason is plainly in the wrong, there is no acceptable excuse to let your dog run loose even if it's an accident. If you're driving and you hit another car by accident nevertheless it is your fault. If your dog gets loose and hurts another dog or a person, it's your fault and nevermind any excuses.

This topic really makes me mad. I'm off my normal exercise regimen right now (walking in my neighborhood) but when I do walk I feel obligated to carry pepper spray now, because of my lazy, sloppy, careless or thoughtless neighbors who for one reason or another allow their dogs to get loose.

I wish we had better animal control as in better Dept. of Animal Control but recognize that we are in an era of reduced government services. I don't know what the answer is but I feel that pet owners whose pets get loose should face increased citation penalties and should expect greater exposure to civil liability in the court system.

In a dozen years my dog has gotten loose exactly once (got out the door without my noticing) and he's a little lovehound who never bit anybody, worse that could ever happen is he'd get run over. Or he'd lick somebody and wag his tail. I'm glad it happens only once per 12 years.