From the ArcaMax Publishing, Dogs, Cats and Other People Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/dogscatsandotherpeople/s-638660-794824
Complaints about dog owners who allow their dogs to run loose are as
widespread as promises from politicians. They're also as empty. As the
following letter from a reader shows, it takes perseverance to bring
an uncooperative neighbor and their unruly dog to justice.
Perseverance and a video camera.
"I have two dogs that I walk daily on a paved, public county road.
It's great exercise for the dogs and me, and it prevents many
potential behavior problems, especially with our young, high-energy
dog.
"One property owner allows his dogs to run loose. Years ago, 'Dog A'
would run to the fence, slip under the bottom wire and bark at
passersby without entering the roadway. After a few years, 'Dogs B and
C' came along and joined Dog A in her territorial displays, which
became more vocal and aggressive with three dogs participating.
"Over the past couple of years, Dog B escalated her aggressive
behaviors, darting into the road, lunging and snapping at pedestrians,
frothing at the mouth and following pedestrians for distances of 100
yards and more. On several occasions, I've gone home scraped, bloodied
and bruised from falling while trying to escape harm's way.
"I attempted to talk to the dog's owner. His response: 'My dog won't
hurt you. She knows to get out of the road.'
"Recently, I got fed up and contacted Animal Services. Turns out, Dog
B's owners were the subjects of many complaints, but no one was
willing to follow up on their complaints. Doing so would require one
to submit a form that served as a citizen's arrest and required the
complainant to appear in court if summoned in the matter.
"The animal services officer gave me some options, one of which was to
submit the complaint form for a specific incident regarding the dog in
question. If a recording of the incident was provided, a stronger case
might be built to declare the dog potentially dangerous.
"Less than a week later I walked my dog, video camera in hand, past
Dog B's territory. Right on cue, the harassment began. As I was
recording, the dog's owner pulled into the driveway and saw me
recording the incident. I continued walking, with the necessary
evidence in hand. Dog B's owner then followed me in her car and
stopped me on the road to ask, 'Do you have a problem with my dog?'
"She repeatedly assured me that her dog wouldn't hurt me, told me that
Animal Services had spoken to her recently about her dog, and that I
shouldn't be afraid of her dog. I told her that the only judgment I
could make about her dog was based on the very aggressive behavior I
saw every day. I then went home, filled out the necessary paper work,
burned a DVD of the recorded incident and submitted it to Animal
Services.
"Over the next six weeks, Dog B remained loose and harassed me three
times. The third time, I submitted a complaint, which began legal
proceedings to declare Dog B potentially dangerous or vicious. We
ended up in court several months later, and the dog was declared
potentially dangerous.
"Dog B's owners now have a long list of requirements to meet in order
to keep the dog on their property. They are subject to annual
inspections by Animal Services, increased homeowner's insurance
premiums and very restrictive rules on where they can take their dog."
It's hard to imagine why anyone would ignore the obvious dangers
inherent in this scenario and risk costly litigation and an avalanche
of financial headaches. But some people have a tendency to do what
they can get away with. For the rest of us, there are video cameras.
Woof!
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Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books
about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and
host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle
Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com,
and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to
dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box
3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.