John King: Dog owners have responsibility to control their pets in public

To The Daily Sun,

Since when did the general public forget that it is their duty to control their dog? People are increasingly walking their dogs off leash in public places around the Lakes Region, with no verbal command, and then shouting "he/she is friendly" from 50 feet away as their 85-pound German Shepard rushes up. This has become a huge problem, especially on local roads and public hiking trails. Many clearly don't understand their responsibility as dog owners, and that they may very well be violating the law.

Although it is up to individual NH towns to decide if dogs must be on a leash at all times, Title XLV Chapter 466 Section 466:28 of the New Hampshire state statutes allows that "Any person may kill a dog that suddenly assaults the person while such person is peaceably walking or riding without the enclosure of its owner or keeper..."

Dog owners must know that a loose dog is an unsafe situation for both the dog and others around it. Their pup may be their "big baby", but it is still an animal and should not be put in a bad spot. It could view someone it doesn't know as a threat and attack them, it could be hit by a car, attacked by another animal, etc. As already stated, pedestrians have the legal right to defend themselves against unknown, uncontrolled dogs rushing them. Dog owners must read the local leash laws and understand associated fines, and show respect to the dog and others by keeping it on a leash. Otherwise, they should prepare to pay fines, potentially lose the dog if someone makes the judgement call that it's attacking them, or pay for bodily injury lawsuits when a person is hurt by the dog due to negligence.

John King

Gilford