Walking dogs in Downtown Los Angeles brings many challenges our way each day as we walk groups of dogs through the city. One particularly challenging obstacle we face are dog owners who don't feel it is necessary to walk their dogs on a leash. Pointing out the obvious to these owners - that is it the law - rarely works. If it does work, we are often greeted with snotty looks, swearing, and nasty comments in the vein of "my dog wouldn't need to be on a leash if you weren't walking your dogs by us." Right.
We've tried & tried to articulate the importance (safety for your dogs and ours!) of following our county/city leash laws, but this discussion is never one a non-leash-using-owner wants to have. For this reason, we were oh so pleased this morning to come across a fantastic treatise - on the also excellent Bad Rap blog - on why it's important to use a leash, written by Barbara Bouyet of the Alaskan Malamute Rescue of Southern California.
It is important for every Los Angeles dog owner to read the article in full (didn't want to reproduce it here, it's not our content), but here are the critical highlights:
This is a leash...
- It is the best way to keep your dog safe...
- It is the best good neighbor policy...
- It is the best identification service...
- It is the best wildlife & environmental protection...
- It is the best way to develop an affectionate pet...
- It is also the best crime prevention device...
- It is an important demonstration to the public...
We urge you all to check out the article. It's short, it's spot-on, and it would make our downtown community a much safer & kinder place for our dogs.
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