Dogs on a Leash

There are many municipal laws on the books about dogs on a leash but this law is rarely enforced. Dog owners often do not feel the need to have their dog on a leash if their dog will obey a verbal command, but is this responsible? A dog is an animal. With so many variables to distract can one be certain that their well-trained dog will not cause harm even under supposedly innocent circumstances? I am also aware how easily it would be to use a well-trained dog to accomplish a goal to cause harm and make it appear innocent.

My son, Benjamin was running in a cross country event for Seattle Running Company to get ready for the National Cross Country event in Columbus, Ohio in December. At 1K, a dog appeared out of no where and collided with my son who fell to the ground, broke his wrist, hurt his knee, and had to stop. Blood ran down both of his arms. This dog should have been on a leash. My son is an elite distance runner. This year he finished the Eugene Marathon in 2 hours and 30 minutes. He runs cross country to bring speed to his distance running. The owner of the dog who allowed his dog to be off a leash should pay for the medical bills but how do you pay for lost dreams when you are at the top of your game? This dog took away more than the running dream because it effects my son at work on the computer.

A seemingly innocent act of allowing your dog to run off leash during a 10K running event is not so innocent, in my opinion. Often I wish I had gone to law school. Attorneys are the defenders of the law and innocent victims. Yes, some attorneys bend to greed and the highest bidder but I still believe in the law and that there are attorneys out there who fight for what's right.