The city-wide leash law in Laramie applies to any animals off of their owners’ property in order to protect community members, as well as other pets and animals.
Animal Control Officer Rene Sollars said that leash laws are enforced in any location that is not considered the owner’s personal property.
“The animal needs to be on a physical leash, in the hands of a person that is capable of controlling the animal in question,” Sollars said. “That counts in parks, it counts on sidewalks and streets, and any property that is not your own home or own yard.”
Sollars said that adhering to leash laws is important in the summer as recreational activity increases and small children are present.
“Parks and public spaces are getting used more during summer months and warm weather,” Sollars said. “More people are out enjoying those open spaces. Kids don’t have as much impulse control, so they might run up and greet a dog. Leashes are needed for any of those interactions where kids are going to meet a dog.”
Another reason that leash laws are enforced is to ensure that interactions between animals are under control and no pets are in danger.
“A lot of people are under the misconception that their dog gets along with all dogs, or their dog doesn’t get along with any dogs, and that’s actually not the case,” Sollars said. “They do pick and choose, just like we do. Leashes give owners the opportunity to control those introductions and avoid conflict where dogs are rushing up on other dogs.”
Laramie resident Brian Bessey witnessed an incident involving this kind of behavior. The incident occurred at University Heights on Wednesday, May 26 while Bessey was working from home on his computer.
“My computer is set up right next to the window that overlooks the central area that has a park,” Bessey said. “There’s constantly kids playing around. The possibility that a kid could’ve seen this, it hurts.”
Bessey said that his girlfriend’s dog Kahlua began barking at something outside of their apartment.
“I get out of my seat and go over there, and that’s when I see commotion happening outside,” Bessey said. “There’s kids here all the time, so I thought ‘oh, it’s just kids playing.’ That’s when I heard screaming, and I was like ‘that’s not good.’”
Bessey said that two larger dogs were attacking a smaller dog while the dog’s owner screamed for help. Bystanders were gathered around the scene and attempted to grab the bigger dogs, but unfortunately, the attack was fatal for the smaller dog.
“I have a dog, and I adore her. I can’t imagine what I would do if she was injured or worse,” Kristin Cheser, Bessey’s girlfriend, said. “I think one possible scenario is, if both parties had their dog on a leash, they could’ve introduced the dogs on leashes.”
Cheser, who previously worked at an animal shelter, said that one should never attempt to stop a dog fight with their bare hands. Instead, spraying one dog with a hose or another form of water can prove successful in stopping the altercation.
“For me, the reason it hits so hard is because my parents own two little dogs that are not much bigger than the dog that was killed,” Bessey said. “We’ve had them for ten years and they’re such a big part of our life. When I saw that happen, I realized that it could happen pretty easily.”
Both Cheser and Bessey said that leashes are important to prevent tragic scenarios such as this.
“We have a park that lots of kids play on, and there’s also kids in the streets who are riding their bikes,” Cheser said. “Having your dog on a leash could prevent so many bad things from happening.”
“If the two bigger dogs were on leashes, I don’t think there would have been a problem,” Bessey said. “Leashes are the first barrier to avoid what happened.”
Sollars said that leashes can help deescalate situations in which one dog might be feeling a little more nervous or excited.
“That can help those sorts of situations, where maybe the dog is a little more reactive and scared of other dogs,” Sollars said. “It lets everybody be polite and lets the dogs have some control by their owners.”
For more information on Laramie leash law and designated leash-free areas, visit the following link: https://www.cityoflaramie.org/980/Leash-Law-Information
