Dog Owners on their Best Behavior

Recently I was returning my shopping cart in the parking lot of a Bend supermarket, and a person passing said, “Gosh, you people do that here?”      Yes, we do. It’s just one example of our local culture of being nice, along with not honking our car horns or unnecessarily idling our car engines. And, when it comes to hitting the trails in spring, it’s important for people with dogs to follow our etiquette, which also happens to be our leash law.

Bend is known for being a dog-loving community as well as a recreational mecca, and the city has done a great job of accommodating everyone, including designating off-leash areas just for dogs. As the weather warms up, we all start to feel footloose and fancy free, so it’s important to tap into your moral compass and be respectful of everyone on our trails.

The Central Oregon group dogpac.org helps maintain off-leash areas and educates people about being responsible dog owners. It offers these tips for practicing good etiquette for off-leash areas and trails.