Owners could pay for dogs without leashes
Playing in a park, taking a walk or hanging out in the shade of
a tree may all be fun activities to do with a dog. But no matter
how much fun dogs can be, ownership may have hidden expenses.
The Humane Society for Larimer County issues $50 tickets to
owners when their pet is not on a leash. Multiple offenses may
result in a fine up to $1,000 and three months in jail.
Rigo Neira, the director of Animal Protection and Field Services
at the humane society, said the maximum fine is rare.
Paul Wozniak, 29, a morning show host for the radio station KKPL
(99.9 The Point), received a warning for having his male cocker
spaniel, Emmet, without a leash at City Park last summer, but he
continues to let him run around the park.
“I know he is not going to harm anyone or anything,” Wozniak
said. “He is good under voice command.”
Wozniak understands there is a law for keeping dogs on a leash
and said from his experience most people comply with the rule, but
he said “it is not a good rule for me.”
Everett Bacon, 38, an engineer, is not as understanding about
Fort Collins’ leash rule.
“How can I play Frisbee with her on a leash?” Bacon said. “My
tax dollars pay for these parks.”
Bacon has received two tickets for not having his dogs on
leashes at parks.
“That is why I don’t utilize those places,” Bacon said.
Mike Ashwell, a junior construction management major, said he
likes Spring Canyon Dog Park, located on the west end of Horsetooth
Road, but he still prefers to go to the park near his house for
safety reasons.
“I heard that your dog can get sick up there,” Ashwell said.
“There are so many dogs and pet waste; it is not a clean
environment.”
Ashwell has never gotten a pet violation ticket because he does
not let his dog off the leash in public.
“I don’t want him to run away,” Ashwell said. “I don’t want a
ticket.”
Fines may also be assessed to an owner if the dog runs into
traffic, bites a person or chases after a person.
Rigo said if a dog runs into the street and is caught by an
animal-control officer, a $100 fine could be issued, depending on
the situation and the individual officer.
Owners may also be fined if their pets are misplaced.
Pets that run away or are lost sometimes find their way to the
humane society, but not always for long, said Jennie Akins, animal
care associate with the humane society.
“Colorado state law says that you have to keep an animal for
three days and we hold them for five,” Akins said.
After five days at the humane society, the animal becomes the
legal property of the shelter and is given behavior tests to
determine if it is adoptable.
If owners wait to pick up their pets until after the five-day
waiting period, they will have to re-adopt the dog and pay another
$80 for a dog and $90 for a puppy.
Cary Rentola, marketing and community events manager at the
humane society, said if a dog is impounded and an owner claims it,
additional fees are assessed.
“Each day that we have an animal here, there is a boarding
charge,” she said.
For every day the dog is held at the humane society $10 is
charged to the owner. An impound fee is also issued, which can
range from $40 to $60. An additional $10 is charged if the pet is
spayed or neutered and $27 if the pet is not.
“We are trying to educate the community about pet
overpopulation,” Rentola said.
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