FOX CROSSING, WI (WTAQ) – A handful of recent reports involving dogs running amok in Fox Crossing have led police to remind residents to keep an eye on their pups.
A lot of people – along with their pets – have been getting outside with the warm weather surge lately. But Fox Crossing Police Liasion Dan Wiechman says dogs can’t be out walking themselves.
“I don’t know if it’s the warmer weather that’s making dogs wander look further than normal, but they’re definitely not staying put,” Wiechman said.
According to the Village of Fox Crossing ordinance:
No person shall permit their dog/cat to run at large within the Village of Fox Crossing at any time. A dog/cat shall not be considered running at large if the dog/cat is within the limits of the owner’s premises, or when the dog/cat is under immediate control with a leash, except that no dog/cat shall be allowed in any public park in Fox Crossing at any time, unless the dog/cat is on a designated Village of Fox Crossing trail.
“That doesn’t mean that they can’t be in our own backyards and under the owner’s control. But if you’re going to take them out and about and other places, they should be leashed and they should be under your control,” Wiechman told WTAQ News.
There were at least five incidents in the village involving a dog either running loose or being found alone in just the past week. Wiechman says officers will do their best to find the owner, but that’s not always the easiest task.
“We are able to scanned for an identification chip if the owner has, in fact, had one of those implanted by their vet. If that information comes back through the system, we are able to reunite the dog without having to take it to the Fox Valley Humane Association,” Wiechman said. “[and] that would probably be the first choice of contact aside from us should you lose your pet, because law enforcement and the general public take animals there once they’re found.”
But one incident required a bit more careful handling. An Amazon delivery driver was bitten by a dog on Sunday night, and reported the bite after going to the hospital.
“Then we get involved with another ordinance that requires the animal to be checked out by their vet. There’s a quarantine period of where the animals can remain home, but it needs to be observed 3 times over the course of 10 days,” Wiechman explained. “You’d usually get a a warning. If it’s a more of a provoked attack, or if it’s the second or third time that a dog were to do something like this, we could look at citing the owner for having a dog that bites.”
But he added that more often than not, it’s a simple and unprovoked accidental type of injury.
As for specific breeds, Wiechman says they really don’t see more issues with those that are often deemed as ‘dangerous’ as opposed to others.
“I don’t think it’s a specific breed that seems to bite more or be more intimidating than the others. There are some public misconceptions about that, of course,” Wiechman said. “I think when it comes down to it, it’s all about how the animal is treated and how the animal has been trained. Doing so properly, all breeds can be a great animal to have as a pet.”
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