The Shores

A Dog's Tale

Nov 12, 2000

We are very fortunate to be living in a neighbourhood such as ours - it must be one of the more picturesque and walker friendly ones around,with enough quiet roads and plenty of pedestrian walkways around. I've been walking our dogs around the Shores area every day for the last two years that we have been living here, and have yet to tire of the view, specially of the ever changing, always stunning mountain backdrop.

Since we are dealing with hard reality here and not Utopia, a problem has emerged which seems to be escalating - the number of dogs allowed outside their yards, unleashed and often unaccompanied by an owner as well. What is meant to be a relaxing walk has now become a nerve-racking obstacle course, trying to avoid these free spirits. I am sure most dogs would really appreciate it if we could let them run free, but for many reasons this is just not possible.

Firstly, it is against city laws, as stated here in the Longmont Municipal Code:

7.04.200 Restraint and control.
Every person owning or having charge, care, custody or control of any dog or Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, of any age, shall keep such dog or pig exclusively upon his or her own premises; provided, that the dog or pig may be off premises if it is under the control of a competent person and restrained by a substantial chain or leash not exceeding twenty-five feet in length. A Vietnamese pot-bellied pig shall wear a harness with the license attached any time it is not securely contained within the residence of the person owning or having charge, care, custody or control of the pig.
(Ord. 0-99-36 ?§ 2: Ord. 0-93-29 ?§ 10: Ord. 0-88-65 ?§ 1 (part))

Secondly, it is inconsiderate in the extreme. It poses a real problem for dogs on a leash (not to mention the person on the other end of it). One really cannot be certain of the attitude and intent of strange dogs; also, it seems as if social doggie dynamics change when some are leashed and others not. Imagine yourself to be in a shy, nervous dog's boots(or collar, as the case may be): you are restrained by force, while your natural instinct is to avoid, at all costs, this wild, barking creature bearing down on you. On a number of occasions, when an owner was present, he/she would call out "It's OK, he is really friendly", after this "really friendly" dog has already helped himself to a tuft or two of my dog's fur! My very shy, scared youngster has been subjected to this kind of treatment so often, she is becoming aggressive and one can see her point -since her first instinct, to flee, cannot be realized, she has no option but to try to resort to the second, which is to fight.

Thirdly, it is a safety risk for the dog. Although for most of us our dogs are part of the family and we think of them as such, they are still animals and sometimes instinct may just get the better of their reason and judgement and they can get seriously hurt.

This, then, is a request to all dog owners out there: please, please, keep your dogs leashed or fenced in, for all our dog's sakes.