Free roaming pets
Dogs and cats that are allowed to freely roam throughout their neighborhood are becoming more of a problem for farmers as we see more houses being built in the countryside. These homes are more often than not occupied by owners who have moved to the country to embrace the fresh air and wide open spaces. Many of these new rural residents look at open fields as a place where they can allow their dogs the freedom to run. However the farm fields that border their home are owned by a neighboring farmer and they are private property. Dogs and cats may legally roam to the property line of their owners, when they go beyond that they become “dogs or cats running at large”.
Wisconsin Statute 174.042(1)(a) Except as pro-vided in par. (b), a dog is considered to be running at large if it is off the premises of its owner and not under the control of the owner or some other person.
Owners who fail to keep their animals on their own property may expose themselves to liability should their animal bite another person. In addition to concerns about human safety, dogs running at large could possibly be killed by cars, subjected to abuse, or get hurt by other animals.
Occasionally during hunting season free running dogs will not make it home. Many times these animals have been on neighbors property multiple times. It is illegal to shoot a roaming dog and the penalty is fairly stiff. WI Stat. 951.02 et. seq. Cruelty to animals is defined as: “No person may treat any animal, whether belonging to the person or another, in a cruel manner.” Intentional or negligent violation is a Class A Misdemeanor punishable with a fine up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment up to 6 months. Intentional violation that results in the mutilation, disfigurement or death of an animal is a Class E Felony punishable with a fine up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment up to 2 years.
Today pets are being regarded more and more as a part of a family. Many people regard them as their “children” and advertisements today are referring to pet owners as “pet parents”. If in fact pets are a real part of a family then the owners or pet parents should accept increased responsibility for the care of that pet.
The current penalty provided under Wisconsin law for animals at large is extremely minimal.
WI Stat. 174.042 (4) Penalties. If the owner of a dog negligently or otherwise permits the dog to run at large or be untagged, the owner shall forfeit not less than $25 nor more than $100 for the first offense and not less than $50 nor more than $200 for subsequent offenses.
It is the task of parents with children to see that the children are cared for, are not allowed to play in traffic and are not allowed to roam the neighborhood without appropriate parental guidance. The parents who do not properly watch their children are subject to charges of child neglect or child endangerment.
People convicted of a misdemeanor child endangerment charge typi-cally face up to one year in jail. Felony convictions are much more serious, and anyone convicted of felony child endangerment faces 1 to 10 years in prison or more. A misdemeanor child endangerment conviction can bring fines of up to $1,000, while felony convictions can come with fines of up to $10,000 or more.
Our legal system is not perfect and there are times when it needs to be changed. Perhaps the penalties for pet parents who allow their pets to roam should be changed to be more in line with the penalties for child neglect or endangerment.
