Los Alamos Police Department Animal Control Division Public Safety Aide Alysha Lenderman with Santos, a dog she rescued from Honduras. Santos is available for adoption at the Animal Shelter. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com
A rash of recent attacks by unleashed dogs on humans and other dogs has spurred the Los Alamos Police Department to remind people of the provisions of the Los Alamos Municipal Code and the New Mexico Dangerous Dog Act.
“We have had several incidents in the past few months and people need to recognize how dangerous it is to have dogs running loose,” said Los Alamos Deputy Police Chief Jason Wardlow Herrera. “Also, if you or your dog are attacked by an unleashed dog, it is important that you call the police department immediately so that we have a chance to find the offending dog and its owner.”
“Being attacked by a dog is no different than being attacked by a human, in that the attack should be reported as soon as possible,” Public Safety Aide Alysha Lenderman said. “People should report or keep track of being nipped or bitten by a dog so that there is a record of the aggression of these animals. These records are very important when a child or an adult ends up with substantial injuries.”
Lenderman knows the state and local laws pertaining to dogs inside out. Lenderman is a nationally-certified animal control officer and animal cruelty investigator as well as a field training officer for animal control. Before working for the local Animal Control Division, she ran animal control for the town of Estancia where she also was in charge of the shelter, adoptions, volunteers, fundraisers and the transfer of animals.
When she’s not working at the Los Alamos shelter, Lenderman volunteers with several rescue groups. She is active with Helping Paws Across Borders and traveled to Honduras last year where her group performed 202 surgeries and 470 wellness checks on dogs in two weeks. She brought home an undernourished dog she came across while she was there. The dog, Santos, has recovered nicely and is ready for adoption at the Los Alamos shelter.
The Animal Control Division is responsible for providing animal control services in Los Alamos County. This includes enforcement of the New Mexico “Dangerous Dog Act” and Chapter 6 of Los Alamos County Municipal Code, which pertains to animals.
Many issues that arise with dogs stem from ignorance of the provisions of the state and local laws. For example, criminal charges can be filed against the owner of a menacing dog. A menacing dog is defined as one that is away from the owner’s home and engages in unprovoked, hostile or dangerous behavior toward a human or another animal.
In Los Alamos County, dogs cannot roam or stray off the owner’s property unless they are at all time under the physical restraint of “a responsible person of sufficient age and maturity to be able to physically restrain the animal”. All unattended dogs have to be confined or physically restrained within the owner’s property. When they are outside the owner’s property they have to be confined or restrained on a secure leash. Exception to this are animals classified as working dogs, roaming within dog parks or training within a designated dog-training field.
Dogs can never “charge, chase or display aggression” toward anyone or behave in a way that any “reasonable person may find harassing or disturbing”. Dogs also are not allowed to charge, chase or display aggression toward any dog or other animal, charge, chase or disturb wildlife or livestock, or charge, chase or display aggression towards cyclists, joggers or equestrians.
When dogs are in designated voice and sight control areas including R-A zoned areas of the county, the stable area and the Los Alamos County Trail Network, they have to be under voice and sight control of their keeper if they are off their leash.
Lenderman reminds dog owners that their dogs must be leashed when in the parking area at a trailhead and within the first 100 feet of the trail. The keeper must have a leash with them for each dog at all times and no more than two dogs may be under voice and sight control per keeper at any time. If a dog runs up to people, other dogs, horseback riders, cyclists, inappropriately chases wildlife, or will not consistently respond to its keeper immediately upon command, the dog must be leashed.
Lenderman says very few people have proper sight and voice control over their dogs.
“The dog has to be within your field of vision and come and stay with you regardless of the distraction,” she says. “Very few dogs have that capacity. The dog should be able to react like it has a leash on when it doesn’t.”
Lenderman says she has run into people with as many as seven dogs off their leashes and that sometimes people claim they are training them. For training, she suggests using the Los Alamos Dog Obedience Club building next to the Animal Shelter or the designated dog parks in White Rock and Los Alamos.
The Los Alamos County Municipal Code is available at losalamosnm.us and the State “Dangerous Dog Act” is available at https:////law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2006/nmrc/jd_ch77art1a-1bf1f.html.