| Dog owners living
        in rural areas with livestock and/or game animals present need to   act in a responsible manner. This includes obeying leash laws and
        not permitting your animals to roam free and harass,
        injure, or kill livestock and game animals. By allowing a dog to roam and
        harass livestock aand game not only do you  allow bad habits
        to form, you also impact on the the economy of one or
        more ranchers or farmers in the area as well as the ecosystem. In many instances
        you are also jeopardizing your dog's life. Laws vary, but
        in some areas it is legal for the owner of the stock
        being harassed to shoot the harassing animal on sight. In
        the event the animal is not shot by the stock owner, you
        run the risk of it being removed by Animal Control or Fish & Wildlife and
        destroyed. Disclaimer: these laws are current as of March 2002. For absolute accuracy, visit your state legislative website to see if there have been any changes to the laws.  |