RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond is a dog-lover city but with a furry friend comes responsibility. Keeping your dog on a leash outside is not only a safety precaution for your pet, but for you as well.
Earlier in August, a visitor at Bryan Park was attacked by an unleashed dog and had to get rabies treatment — proving the importance of the City’s leash law.
“We think our dogs are well-behaved. We want them off leash to be free for their enjoyment, but unfortunately also responsible for their safety,” said Bobby Hall, a resident with first-hand experience in the dangers of unleashed dogs.
Hall was outside of his apartment with his dog, Sydney, when he saw an unleashed dog bolting in their direction.
“A Chihuahua, all things — a small little dog came barreling out of the building and just straight at my dog,” Hall said. “I was scared … I [didn’t] know if the dog was going to bite my dog. I didn’t really understand what was happening. I couldn’t see the owner in sight.”
Leash laws apply all year round in the City of Richmond and in neighboring Chesterfield County. In Hanover County, dogs are required on leashes year-round in suburban areas and only three months of the year in rural areas. Henrico County does not have a leash law — but does require dogs to be under control at all times.
“Different little communities within Henrico will have their own little leash law … like Libby Mill has a leash rule, but it’s not a law,” Hall — who walks his dog in Henrico County often — said. “You can’t enforce it. So, you got people that will take their dog off-leash. Yeah, people that get angry about it.”
Violation of Richmond’s leash law is considered a class 4 misdemeanor. In Chesterfield and Hanover there is a fine of $25.
