Call the Cops!
Today, I was working with a client dog in downtown Ketchum, when two young ladies and two dogs, one a German Shepherd, were walking through the Town Square and down Second. Both dogs were off leash. What is amazing to me is that, with my pretty experienced background in German Shepherds and knowledge of their prey drive, that anyone would walk a shepherd downtown without a leash. In one instant and squirrel could appear across the street and engage that dog’s prey drive pushing him to run across the street into the path of an oncoming car and be killed.
Now, I guess there is something to be said for someone’s ego that is large enough to exclaim to the world that, “HEY!!! I am the best dog trainer on the planet!” and then put their dog into this position. Dogs are dogs. While the shepherd is an incredibly loyal dog and will do almost anything for his owner, he also was born with this instinct to chase prey. It’s what a shepherd does. He was born to CHASE SHEEP!
Just because I am naming the owner of this gorgeous German Shepherd and calling out this specific breed, I am here to say I don’t care how good of a dog trainer you think you are, or how reliable you think your dog is, your dog IS A DOG and needs you to protect him from himself and his natural instincts. Having a dog means YOU must be his leader and show him what is the right thing to do.
Parading ANY dog around town without a leash is only testimony to a very inflated ego and someone who has NOT had enough experiences with dogs to know that they WILL always humble you. ALWAYS.
In addition, there are leash laws IN ALL the towns in this valley! And in the summer from the 4th of July until Labor Day, dogs MUST BE ON LEASH in the SNRA. The law does not exempt you because you think you are a good dog trainer, or because you have not been caught before.
