by Rosemary Serluca-Foster
A number of dogs have been spotted off leash roaming through our village, both with owners and without. This is not only illegal, but also dangerous, putting the members of our community and other animals at risk.
You may think your dog is friendly and can handle being off-leash, but you can’t predict how it will react to a surprise encounter with another dog or person. Recently, on separate occasions, unleashed dogs charged my leashed one. Thankfully, the owners were close by to retrieve their unruly, excited pets.
Here’s the deal:
- All dogs in NY State must be registered and tagged. Go to the Rockland County Clerk website for more information on registering your dog in Rockland County. If you’re in possession of a dog that is not registered, you run the risk of losing custody of the dog.
- If you spot an unleashed dog without its owner, immediately call 911. The police will respond to such a call right away. Don’t try and persuade the dog to come to you, especially if it appears upset or angry.
- If you spot an unleashed dog with its owner, remind him or her that they’re breaking the law, and subject to a fine.
- There are many disposable, fecal bag stands to clean up after your dog all over the village. Please use them! That’s what they’re there for. The other morning, I found it absurd that a dog’s fecal matter was left right below a disposable bag stand, when it would have taken one minute to pull a bag down and clean it up. Maybe it was one of those unleashed dogs without its owner trying to make a joke.
There is constant complaining about how unsafe and unkempt our village has become. As dog owners, lets not add to the fray and do our part to keep it safe and clean.
