National Dog Bite Prevention Week is in April

The 2nd week of April is National Dog Bite Prevention Week and I thought I would bring up the subject again about off leash dogs and the open public spaces where either dogs are not allowed or if allowed on leashes only.

Another a petition is in to our city council asking them to re-evaluate the current dog policy. The policy bans dogs off leash always and ON a leash during certain (most) daylight hours. This is due to excessive amounts of crowds and the fact that many owners do not pick up after their dogs.  They are also asking for more off leash areas. (In our neighborhood, we have 4 large off leash areas within 5 miles)

Conversely, another petition was started against that petition and then another Petition to have another gated off leash area… and Now…

it is Dog Wars …. online and these adults are acting like 4 year olds, with name calling.. even one person called another person mentally ill because she was afraid of big dogs, having been bit as a child… then it got into. grammar.. seriously, I kid you not. You wonder how responsible these dog owners are if they cannot keep a civil tongue.

Then.. one has to wonder at the blatant flaunting of laws and the attitude that goes with that. They said they are responsible dog owners, but I question how a dog owner can be responsible with the following attitudes:

Then they post about animal control with a total disregard for Animal Control which in our case is the Humane Society. Personally I find this attitude and lack of respect horrible.

I am not against off leash dogs, in fact love dogs, but everyday, there is DOG FECES on the beach, on the street, on the grass. EVERY DAY. Somebody has to pick it up. Everyday, there are people not watching their unleashed dogs.

I Gotta Tell You

• 6,244 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2017, down from 6,755 in 2016. Children, elderly, and postal carriers are the most frequent victims of dog bites.
• 4.7 million dog bites occur in the United States/year, and 800,000 of those bites result in medical care. A dog bites 1 out of every 69 people.
• 31 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2016.
• $700 million in claims related to dog bites, in 2017, insurers across the country paid nearly  according to estimates from the Insurance Information Institute.
•  $132 million State Farm paid as a result of 3,600 dog-related injury claims.
• 29,000 reconstructive procedures were performed in 2016 to repair injuries caused by dog bites, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

And it is not safe for dogs. Dead animals, Needles, broken glass, dirty diapers, old food and whatnot is strewn thoughout the beach. I question why a person would not only want to subject their dog to that and be inconsiderate of other people.

Resources 

Dog Bite Law: Dog Bite Statistics

State Farm: Dog Bite Prevention