Chicago pet owners are letting their unleashed dogs run wild in parks and other public property, triggering fist fights and threats of violence, the head of Animal Care and Control was told Wednesday.
With Animal Care and Control Executive Director Mamadou Diakhate testifying at City Council budget hearings, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) used the opportunity to air complaints about unleashed dogs whose owners are thumbing their noses at the law that requires dogs to be restrained while in public.
"What we’ve seen is a serious escalation in violent acts between dog owners or parents — to the point where we’ve got people threatening each other with guns. Coming into our office saying they’re gonna go out and shoot somebody if they see their dog out there again," Waguespack said.
"We’re racking up broken elbows from seniors getting knocked down. Kids getting bit. All sorts of things that … have escalated since COVID. … Even in the CAPS meetings, we’ve got people shouting at each other about, ‘My dog should be off leash. It’s not bothering anybody.’ And the police are having to deal with these fights as well as us."
Waguespack said he has the scars to prove that it’s like the Wild West out there.
"Having been somebody who’s been bit last year confronting a dog owner, punched. … I’m kind of at the point where I’d like to see a coordinated effort with everybody to address this issue," Waguespack said.
Diakhate said he maintains a "line of communication" with Chicago Park District supervisors and often sends Animal Control officers to parks in response to complaints about unleashed dogs.
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"Just having a city Animal Control truck there with our officer is a deterrent factor most of the time. … We try as much as possible to make sure we are being seen out there," the director said.
The hit-and-miss approach was not enough to appease Waguespack, who said he wants a “serious, concerted effort” to educate dog owners "about the safety aspect" of unleashed dogs.
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"What I’m looking more for is more communications, public relations, talking to dog owners when they’re leaving, when they get a license. … How we should be not only treating the animals, but treating neighbors," he said.
"Some type of public relations campaign needs to be undertaken because we’re just leaving it to you, one staffer who may or may not get there on time or a police officer," he said.
Waguespack also suggested uniform wording on signs to replace signs that vary greatly. Now, some say “Curb your dog” while others say, "Leash your dog."
Budget Chair Pat Dowell (3rd) thanked Waguespack for raising the issue.
"A lot of us have that concern with dogs off leash in parks — especially parks that are not always supervised by Park District staff. That’s something that, we hope that you will follow up on and even use your clinics to get information out to people about keeping their dogs on leash and what the municipal ordinance says," Dowell told Diakhate.
Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (31st) joined the chorus.
"We’ve got dogs loose in the park. But we’ve also got dogs being walked in the neighborhood not being leashed. And then sometimes they go from them not being leashed and end up attacking another dog," Cardona said.
Unleashed dogs were not the only complaint aired at Wednesday’s hearing.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) beefed about dog owners who refuse to pick up after their pets and about squirrels, possums and raccoons that seem to be getting bigger and “more aggressive.”
"I got neighbors who feed them. They’re really huge. They’re the size of 3- and 4-year-old children," Taylor said.
Diakhate said the problem is the people who feed them.
“We cannot just feed wildlife. Wildlife knows how to find food. The more you feed them, the more they’re coming, because they’re territorial,” he said.
Mayoral challenger Ray Lopez (15th), the Council’s resident dog lover, closed the hearing with a harrowing story about the crisis he endured two weeks ago.
One of his seven dogs became “deathly ill” over the weekend. Fortunately, Lopez had the means to find emergency veterinary care for his sick dog. Not everybody can afford that.
That’s why Lopez asked Diakhate to explore creating an emergency clinic to give Chicagoans who have valid pet tags somewhere to go if their dogs or cats get seriously ill on weekends when no other affordable care is available.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like for a Chicagoan to see their dog or cat die in the living room or dining room, knowing they have nowhere to go,” Lopez said.
