Leash Law Advocates of Santa Cruz County
  • Home
  • LLASCC Position Papers
  • Santa Cruz County Leash Laws
    • County "Where Can I Take My Dog?" brochure
    • County Parks Brochure
  • City Leash Laws
    • Santa Cruz City Ordinance
    • Capitola Ordinance
    • Scotts Valley Ordinance
    • Watsonville Ordinance
  • Public Health and Safety
  • Habitat
    • Critical Habitat Designations
  • Disturbance of Birds
  • Dogs Chase Birds
    • Off-Leash Dog Videos
  • Off-Leash Reports 2019
    • Off-Leash 2013-2018
  • Dog Poop
  • County Beaches
  • Dog Park Planning
    • Pilot Program
  • Off-Leash Dog Parks
  • Animal Services
    • File a complaint
  • Letters & Articles
  • Contact Us

It's Real Simple - Enforce County Leash Laws

10/31/2013

0 Comments

 
In a long running debate, a group of dog owners lobbying for exemption from Santa Cruz County leash laws loudly proclaim they are going to continue to let their dogs off leash no matter the law, and that enforcement of the leash law doesn’t work because there are still dogs off-leash on County beaches. This is a circular argument (that is, “I still break the law, so enforcement doesn’t work”) that is used as an excuse to demand that law breakers be exempted from the law.

"Enforcement" does not mean 100% compliance. No law ever achieves total compliance, no matter how stringently it is enforced. There are always individuals who decide to flout the law and take the risk of getting tickets or being arrested. 

Fortunately, we live in a society where the majority of the people obey most of the laws, and there is no need for an overweening police state to maintain public safety and order. It is only when the illegal acts of a minority group infringe on the rights of the majority that legal pressure must increasingly be brought to bear to protect public health and safety and maintain order in the community.

Such is the case with off leash dogs on County beaches. A small group of dog owners has decided that their desire to allow their dogs to run off leash on local beaches should take precedence over the desires of the rest of beach users for a beach experience unmarred by dogs running uncontrolled. The dog owners have organized to avoid getting tickets from Animal Services officers’ attempts to enforce County leash laws, as they let their dogs loose daily on local beaches.

Meanwhile, the dog owners who admit to breaking the leash laws have the audacity to lobby County government to not only overlook their illegal actions, but to suspend County Leash Laws on the beach in order to allow them to continue to run their dogs off leash. Leash laws were written and are enforced to protect public health and safety, the health and safety of other dogs, and to protect sensitive wildlife and habitats. These off leash dog owners claim their desires trump public health and safety, their own animals’ safety and County, state, federal and international wildlife regulations.

It’s time to put a stop to this egregious “off leash dog gang” behavior. There are 12 off leash dog parks in the County where dog owners legally can let their dogs run off-leash for exercise and socialization, without putting other park users at risk. 

If dog owners continue to blatantly ignore existing off-leash dog areas and continue to illegally allow their dogs to run off-leash in shared pubic space, they should be ticketed and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. No “half-price” sales, but full and escalating fines for these repeat offenders. Let them take responsibility for their disregard for the law and stop asking for a free ride from County government.

It’s hard and it’s fair.

0 Comments

"New Dogs in Town" Video Challenged

9/8/2013

0 Comments

 
"New Dogs in Town," a Santa Cruz dog service business, recently posted a video on YouTube featuring representatives from the pro-off-leash dog groups Live Oak Off-Leash Advocates (LOOLA) and Friends of Lighthouse Field (FOLF). The video also prominently features Melanie Sobel, General Manager of the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and Field Manager Todd Stusoy.

Beyond its one-sided presentation of the off-leash dog position, numerous factual inaccuracies and unsupported claims, the video implies endorsement of the off-leash position by Animal Services staff.

While the presentations by Animal Services staff do not explicitly endorse the off-leash dogs on the beach positions of LOOLA and FOLF, their presence does provide tacit endorsement of the video.

When contacted, General Manager Sobel indicated that "New Dogs in Town" producers told her that the video was for informational purposes only. Sobel subsequently sent out a press release (available at http://llascc.weebly.com/letters--articles.html) indicating that Animal Services staff had not been informed that the video would be used to promote the off-leash dog agenda.

The Animal Services press release thoroughly discredits the attempt by "New Dogs in Town" producers to associate Animal Services staff with the off-leash dog agenda.

LLASCC calls on "New Dogs in Town," LOOLA and FOLF to take down the video, delete the Animal Services staff interviews, or include a disclaimer that unambiguously states that Animal Services staff in no way endorse the video or its pro-off-leash contents.
0 Comments
    Copyright © 2015 LLASCC. All rights reserved.

    Michael Lewis

    LLASCC moderator.

    Archives

    December 2015
    June 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    April 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    January 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All
    Animal Services
    Corcoran Lagoon Beach
    Loola
    Moran Lagoon Beach
    Off Leash
    Off-leash
    Welcome

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.