Why Dogs Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Roam Free

Let me start by saying that I love dogs. I have had dogs my whole life, and I am definitely a "dog person." That being said, this is something I have thought about writing for a little while now. I am amazed that some people don't understand why this is a problem.

What I am talking about is letting dogs roam free in neighborhoods. I have a big problem with this for a few reasons. My first reason is that it is a danger for the animal. Animals don't know to look both ways before they cross the street, and cars can drive really fast. Not a good combination. Plus, you never know what can happen if they come in contact with another animal. You wouldn't want to have to deal with the legal fall out if they bite someone else's pet or if they bite a person.

Another reason is that it is rude to surrounding neighbors. My parents live on a road where a couple of the houses let their dogs roam free. Even though my parents don't have dogs anymore, they always seem to have piles of dog poop in their yard. This weekend alone, my dad picked up seven piles, and there was already another one in their yard today when I picked up the kids. Not really fair to them.

Without catching the dogs in the act, it's hard to respectfully ask the neighbors to keep the dogs in their yard, but it's not hard to figure out which dogs they are. Really, it's just rude to let the dogs roam on other people's property.

Not only is it rude, but it's against the law. This brings me to my third reason. As an example, here is the statute from Chapter 435, Section 22-364 of the Connecticut Statutes,

Sec. 22-364. Dogs roaming at large. Intentional or reckless subsequent violation. (a) No owner or keeper of any dog shall allow such dog to roam at large upon the land of another and not under control of the owner or keeper or the agent of the owner or keeper, nor allow such dog to roam at large on any portion of any public highway and not attended or under control of such owner or keeper or his agent, provided nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit or prohibit the use of hunting dogs during the open hunting or training season. The unauthorized presence of any dog on the land of any person other than the owner or keeper of such dog or on any portion of a public highway when such dog is not attended by or under the control of such owner or keeper, shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of the provisions of this subsection. Violation of any provision of this subsection shall be an infraction.

With the warmer weather approaching, just keep in mind that keeping dogs on leashes and on their own property is a law.

Ok, PSA over.

Listen to Liz Kaye weekdays from 10-2 on 105.5 FM, online at kicks1055.com/listen-live/ or by downloading the radioPup app for your mobile device.