It keeps your dog safe! Depending on where you live, there are dangers all around. Local wildlife can pose a risk to your dog just as easily as vehicles flying by. Your dog could easily be attacked by a rabid raccoon or killed by coyotes. Vehicles can seriously injure and kill our dogs very easily. Believe it or not, there are even some drivers that will intentionally cause harm to our beloved pets! Other dogs can attack your dog or your dog could be attacked by a dog it approaches that is on leash.

It keeps other animals safe! From wildlife to pets, keeping your dog properly confined or on a leash can prevent the injury or death of many animals. Dogs are predators by nature, some having a stronger prey drive than others. It is normal for them to chase and kill other animals! But, wildlife has a place in the ecosystem. Preventing our dogs from the chance to kill local wildlife can result in that wildlife keeping away more dangerous or harmful wildlife. Leashing and properly confining our dogs also helps to preserve the life of other pets in the neighborhood! Many people enjoy having outdoor cats or their dogs may dart out of a door and be loose in their yard. It is very easy for dogs allowed to roam to kill pet cats or even those dogs that have accidentally gotten loose. Loose dogs could even transfer and spread  fleas, ticks, and deadly diseases, like Parvo, simply by running through the neighbors yards!

People want to enjoy their walks! Many people just do not want to deal with your dog running up to them or after them when they are trying to get in their daily dose of exercise. There are also many people trying to walk their dogs that a loose dog can be a danger to. A leashed dog that has been attacked by a loose dog can easily develop fear and anxiety. This fear an anxiety can manifest itself through reactivity or aggression. Both of those problems take money, a lot of time, serious dedication, and the help of a Certified Professional dog trainer that uses desensitizations and counter-conditioning techniques to help their dog overcome these issues. Loose dogs can prevent the progress of fearful/ reactive dogs, as well as the progress of puppies or dogs in training.

It is just plain respectful! There are people that do not like dogs or are afraid of them. They probably do not want dogs running around their property. Not only that, but dogs can be quite curious and even destructive when given the chance! Digging in trash bags or trash cans, romping through gardens that took a lot of money and time to design, or even digging holes around a yard are just a few examples of how a loose dog can wreak havoc on a neighbors property.

It is the LAW!

Louisiana Revised Statutes. Title 3. Agriculture and Forestry. Chapter 18. Animals Running at Large. Part V. Dog License Tax. 2771. Dogs not to run at large.

“No person shall suffer or permit any dog in his possession, or kept by him about his premises, to run at large on any unenclosed land, or trespass upon any enclosed or unenclosed lands of another.”

What exactly does that mean? Simply put, there is a leash law in the state of Louisiana! According to Animal Law Resource Center Sec2. , any person in possession of or harboring a dog must keep it from running at large by either securely confining the dog in a fenced area, garage, house, or other building or placing the dog on a leash. In Sec 3. it goes on to define secure confinement as, “securing the dog in an area from which the dog cannot escape based on the size and breed of the dog, while providing for the humane care of the animal while in confinement.”