Helping country dogs stay safe

Listen to this radio show (MP3 download) or read below.

Radio interview source: Dr. Kim Langholz, community practice veterinarian, Iowa State University

Trouble is on the way if you have a dog who decides it's his job to chase, chew, and terrorize the neighborhood, just because he can. My husband Bob is a veterinarian and he sees all kinds of cases where a dog gets hurt because he was doing something he shouldn't.

Veterinarian Dr. Kim Langholz says letting a dog roam free is like allowing a seven-year old child to do whatever he pleases, and it's a certainty that the dog, bored and left to his own devices, will unleash all sorts of chaos.

"They might go over to a neighbor's and get into the trash, knocking that over," Langholz says. "They may worry somebody's livestock which is definitely inappropriate behavior for a dog. When dogs are out running there's a higher probability that they're going to be hit by a car, there are numerous hazards out there for a dog that's allowed to roam free off of its own property."

Most dogs want to chase anything that moves, including other critters. In some parts of the country if a livestock owner sees a dog chasing his animals, he is allowed to shoot first and ask questions later.