Posts Tagged ‘laws’

$1,000 Fines for Walking Dogs Off-Leash or Failing to Pick Up After Their Mess

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

People who walk their dogs off of a leash or forget to pick up after them in Baltimore will now receive $1,000 fines. While this will no doubt decrease the amount of violators in the city, it’s a very harsh punishment that some could argue is even a bit cruel to dog owners.

The increased fine equates dog walking violations to those of dog fighting and animal abuse. It’s tough to justify such an increase, especially in a time when people are pinching pennies during a rough economy.The new law wasn’t voted on by the people, and there was little to no press about the law before violators started getting fined.

To charge a fine like this to average people will hurt their finances and make it so they can’t afford basic necessities. The fine is a month or two of rent for a lot of people, so charging this much for such a minor offense is ridiculous.

It’s important to keep your dog on a leash when you take it for a walk. It keeps everyone (including your dog) safer, but it’s not a major crime. Picking up after your dog is also important, but the results of the minor infraction don’t have any real effect on society. While walking your dog without a leash can result in your dog biting someone and getting in a fight with another dog, what does not picking up after your pet do?

To charge $1,000 for not picking up after your pet doesn’t make any sense. This just looks like a city’s way to try and gain extra income, but they’re doing it wrong. To take away so much money from pet owners for minor offenses is a terrible way for a city to make money.

The law went into effect on April 1, and citizens who have a problem with it are told to notify their city council members. People who receive the gigantic fine can appeal it in the Environmental Court. Howard being walked on a leash

AKC Against New Puppy Protection Bill

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

It’s surprising to see the American Kennel Club speak out against a bill that aims to protect dogs. The bill recently introduced in Nevada requires breeders to get an annual license and agree to random inspections, and the AKC has a problem with that.

The annual license costs $500, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem for a breeder that makes a profit from selling dogs. The bill also requires random inspections of where the dogs are being kept, and this seems to be where the AKC has a problem. The AKC says one of its goals is to “protect the rights of all dog owners.” That’s great, but what about the dogs themselves?

In cases concerning dog breeders, the rights of the dogs should be taken into consideration before the rights of the humans who are breeding them. This should be how it works because the breeders can choose a different profession if they disagree with the law, but the dogs they breed can’t decide to go somewhere else if they’re starving inside of their cages.

There have been some terrible cases of abuse in puppy mills and other places where the breeders care more about profit than the health of dogs, and this is what the bill aims to prevent.


To think that an organization as well established as the AKC is against a bill that will help prevent these kinds of atrocities is amazing. The AKC might want to think a little bit harder before they come out against something like this. The AKC say they support the proper care of dogs, but they aren’t willing to enforce regulations? There are some inconveniences to dog breeders in the bill, but the amount of help that it will bring to dogs completely outweighs what breeders will have to go through.

Please support the bill and help make sure puppy dogs are better protected against irresponsible breeders. The dogs can’t do it by themselves!

It's me! Howard Huge!

Leash Laws Get Tighter, Dogs are Taken Away

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

As Spring gets closer and things start to warm up, dog owners start walking their pets more. Taking your dog for a walk is a very important part of your dog’s life, but there are some laws you need to follow if you don’t want to lose your pet.

The leash laws in some areas have become more strict, and owners can lose their pets if they aren’t careful. In Omaha, if you get three leash violations in a 24-month period, you can lose your dog, get a fine and go to jail.

To make sure law breakers are brought to justice, Omaha has dispatched more park patrols to enforce the laws. Most cities in the country have some kind of leash laws, and if they aren’t followed, you might be surprised with how severe the penalty is.

It isn’t too hard to train your dog and get it to be comfortable with a leash. It’s also a good idea to make sure your dog responds well to voice commands. That way, if it does get off the leash, you’ll be able to call it to you quickly before anything bad happens.