Keep control over your dog, even if you think it’s well-behaved

Alex Geiger performs L-9 training exercises in a bite-proof suit with a dog in Hanford in 2013. Geiger worked as a Grover Beach police officer in December when his personal dog — his former partner at a previous department — attacked two neighbors, killing one of them. Copyright Hanford Sentinel/Reprinted with permission

You’d think with the news of the dog mauling in Grover Beach, no one would risk not having control of their dog in public. But it happened recently on the Salinas River Trail in Paso Robles. I’m walking and see a pit bull running free in the field. I stop, and the owner says, “He’s OK.” I still don’t move, and the dog approaches me, getting within about 5 feet. I have no idea if the dog is “OK” or not. The owner calls the dog over and says, “Sorry about that.”

I wonder what he would have said if the dog had taken a chunk of flesh out of my leg? Owners, maintain control of your dog at all times; it is not worth the risk.

Bob Leith, Paso Robles

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Keep control over your dog at all times, even if you think it’s well-behaved."

Get unlimited digital access

#ReadLocal