Pet Parents Are Urged To Keep Their Pets On Leash To Avoid Custody Issues

Does your community have a leash law? Those leash laws are there for a reason – they help keep pets and people safe. Having a dog run free in a neighborhood can cause serious problems.

In the city of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 239 dogs were taken into custody between July 2016 and July 2017 because they were not leashed. They were referred to as “animal at large” which is any domestic animals that are left unrestrained. In 1973, Tahlequah established an ordinance that said any animal that had a home could be left at large at any time within the city limits – except on the family’s property.

If the pet was taken off the property, it needed to be on a leash. Any animal found at large within the city borders would be confined and even disposed of after a certain time period! May seem harsh, but if you can’t control your dog, then maybe you shouldn’t be responsible for one. Clinton Johnson, the city director of planning and development, said that dogs at large are an element of unpredictability and may see strangers as a threat and react violently.

Dogs that are unleashed may also walk onto the roadway and be a traffic hazard. Not to mention all the trash bags that get broken into and the garbage that is spread around. Another concern that animal control in Tahlequah faces is the number of dogs who are tied to a line or chained and then neglected. Efforts are underway to find new forever homes for those pets found at large.

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