[va-richmond-general] Re: barred owls
- From: JRiverPk@xxxxxxx
- To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 11:22:57 EDT
Al
The regulations are different in different parks. Bryan Park requires
dogs to be on leash at all times; the James River Park System requires that
the dog owner have a leash available for each animal. Dogs may run beside
their owners, fetch sticks, go swimming, and what not, but their owners must be
able to immediately place them under physical control if they interfere with
other visitors, dogs, or wildlife.
The reason for the difference is the "scuff-law" factor. We don't
have any way to enforce a leashes-at-all-times regulation. It is
counter-productive to put up rules that there is no intention, or no ability,
to enforce. We
do enforce the you-have-to-have-a-leash-with-you law. It is one that most
people find reasonable and sensible. I have found a few violators ... and I
have sent them back to their cars. They have always gone and I have not had
negative feedback. Sometimes I have a spare leash or length of rope that I
give
to them. This has proven most helpful since it addresses both the current and
future use pattern ... fosters somewhat better behavior and increases
understanding. Just as bell collars ought to be distributed by Audubon members
to all
cat owners free of charge inorder to address the decimation of ground-nesting
birds in urban areas, so concerned birders might consider leash-giving as a
way to address the dog issue ... carrying a can of pepper spray, and using it
when a dog acting inappropriately and the owner refuses to restrain it, is
another way. Perhaps a sign stating that "loose dogs that frighten or annoy
other
park users will be sprayed with a repellant chemical" is something that
Audubon might like to underwrite.
May you dog issues be few.
Ralph
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