Fernie is well known for being a dog friendly city. In fact, when I first moved here I became well acquainted with the term “fur baby.”
Recently, however, it has come to my attention that many dog owners are being careless while walking their dogs. Over the past two weeks, I’ve come close to striking three dogs with my vehicle. Off leash dogs flee out into the street while owners are trying to walk them both during the day and at night.
Many owners feel like their dogs can be walked off leash, but they are putting their pets in harms way. It’s one thing to walk your dog on a trail off leash where there are no immediate dangers but when you are walking along the sidewalk of a busy street, anything can happen.
Someone or something could grab your dog’s attention, forcing them to step onto the road directly in the way of oncoming traffic.
When I first moved here, I found a dog walking along the highway in West Fernie. I immediately put the dog in my vehicle and drove it to Barkside Pets. The Barkside employee recognized the dog and was able to contact the owners immediately. What shocked me were the dozens upon dozens of cars that simply drove past the dog.
If it were my “fur baby” walking down the side of the highway by herself, I would pray that someone would have the decency to pick her up and take her somewhere safe.
Another thing that troubles me is when I see dogs in the back of a pickup truck. There have been many instances where I’ve seen dogs sitting or standing in a truck bed with nothing holding them in. I personally think that is simply unacceptable. Animals should be transported in a safe manner and not only are owners exposing their dogs to the elements (cold weather, rain, etc.) but they are putting them directly in harms way. A minor fender bender could seriously injure or kill the dog and there would be no one to blame but the dog’s owner. It disheartens me to see animals unfairly treated.
Owning a pet is a big responsibility and I think that people need to seriously consider what being a dog owner might entail before they purchase an animal.
Even though Fernie is a dog friendly city, pet owners still need to pay attention to the dangers their “fur baby” might face and work to avoid those dangers at any cost.
It’s easy enough to put a leash on your dog or to either kennel or move your dog inside your vehicle, and it is those simple measures that will ensure the safety of your pet.