Legal Question in Criminal Law in Virginia

What constitutes a dog at large? My dog broke loose from my grip one evening during our walk and ran toward another dog who was also out for a walk. She did jump on the other dog but there were no injuries; however the other dog owner was very frightened and she wanted the animal comtrol officer to charge me with Dog at Large charges. The time between my dog breaking away from me and my gaining control of her was just a matter of seconds (she had run about 100 yards from me). Ironically, I had spent the day with my dog at a pet expo, where there were dozens of dogs and she had a great time socializing with them. I received the summons 3 weeks later and am having questions as to what constitutes a dog at large. Thank you.

Asked on 4/07/12, 7:44 pm

Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

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The facts which you've described, i.e., failure to maintain control over your dog even very briefly-- would seem sufficient to bring

this charge against you (in my opinion). And, yes, I mean the

charge of Dog at Large.

Of course, whether these facts will be sufficient to prove the case against you in a court of law is quite another matter.

Answered on 4/07/12, 8:32 pm

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