Dogs running loose

[kmaben]

Is this a common practice and somehow I missed the memo? I live in Lawton which is a small military town. It's a low income town and I live in the nicer part. There are loose dogs every where. It seems to be a practice you let the dog roam during the day and bring it in at night. I could understand if you lived on private land but to just let it roam? I live right around the corner from an elementary school and would think this is a liability of some sort. I've been accused of trying to steal dogs so many times it's ridiculous. If my dog got loose I would freak and hope some nice people would catch him and call me.

Does this go on in other places and what kind of towns/cities are they?

 

[whitelop]

I have never heard of such practices, but I would be freaking out if I saw dogs roaming all over all the time.
Like I always say, "your dog on your property is a pet, your dog on my property is a threat". I would not be a happy camper living in that town.

My neighbors across the street have dogs that are loose all the time, but they never leave the property and they never cross the road. A lot of the farmers around have outside dogs that stay out all the time, untethered but they never leave the property. They don't just roam loose. Do you not have an animal control?

 

[missyscove]

Where I live there are a lot of people that let their dogs roam and a lot of stray dogs as well. It's certainly not an acceptable practice in my opinion, not to mention we have leash laws and such here, but yes, people do it.

 

[ldoerr]

It does not happen where I live. Sometimes a dog will get out of a yard through a bad fence, but then someone will take that dog back to where it lives. My parents next door neighbor has a dog that is supposed to be a lab/dalmation mix. It is really a pit bull. I have NO problems with the breed. I just do not like that dog. It gets out multiple times a day and often ends up in my back yard and has almost attacked my dogs many times (I have dachshunds). My neighbor accross the street sais that next time that dog gets in his yard he will shoot it. He is a hunter so has lost of guns. The dogs owners do not take any of their animals to the vet EVER, saying that they do not have the $ to take them, yet they are pregnant with their like 5th kid and already have 2 babies. Sorry for the rant, I just REALLY do not like them.

 

[Tam O Ham]

If you live in the South, especially certain parts, it probably is a pretty common practice. For instance, when I was a kid, all the dogs but ours on the street roamed free. We even had one that would basically be our escort (any kid on our street) whenever we left the neighborhood and stay nearby us until we were back in 'safe' territory when he'd wander off on his own. The city got bigger though and more developed as the years went on and now it's strange to see dogs loose anywhere. Out in the country too, as Morgan said, a lot of farmers, or people from farming areas originally, let their dogs wander loose. So if you're in a Southern area, especially farm territory or not quite so developed, that's probably the mind set.

 

[Katielovesleo3]

I know some dogs that run loose iny neighborhood (freaking dumb dog next door keeps coming over to get our cats food, and he has a backyard but idiots don't close the gate). My backyard is separate from my house so I have to walk to the gate open it, and let my dog in the backyard. But he doesn't run off, he has a handful of times but he had good reason to lol. He wanted to go see his friend down the street and you know, all that. But there's are some people who just don't get it. The "leash law" is a law. Can't be screwing around or else someone will run him over, shoot him (neighbor dog will be one day), or be taken to the pound

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Every where I've lived, your dog would get picked up, you'd be fined, and if the dog didn't have a collar tag with proof of shots, you'd get charged for all the shots too. Had a neighbor when we lived in CA that let their dog out front 4 or 5 times a day so it could crap someplace other than their yard. I finally started taking my big dogs out after feeding and hung out at their front yard til mine did what his had been doing in my yard. When he said something to me, I told him, "now you know how I feel, and next time I see your dog out I WILL call animal control!" Never had a problem after that. Sounds like theire is ether no laws governing it or there's no enforcement.

 

[kmaben]

Lawton has leash laws and licensing laws. I understand that farmers and people who live in rural areas on land letting their dogs loose. But a neighborhood? I think I'm going to put animal control on speed dial. It's a bit ridiculous. I was wondering if maybe it was a low income type of thing.