Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Many families in Westlawn own dogs.  Most people understand the law forbidding the dogs from running loose in the neighborhood and requiring dog owners to clean up after their dogs when walking the dogs on a leash around the neighborhood.

Sad to say, we still have problems with loose dogs charging and even biting people walking on the sidewalks, and nobody cleans up after these dogs when they poop on other people's yards.

If you own a dog:  Check your yard and make sure that your dog has not figured a way out under, over, or through your fence.  Never let your dog run loose just because you are too tired or lazy to walk along.  And when you do walk your dog, scoop up after them-don't leave it or throw it down the storm drains.

If you see a loose dog:  If you know where the dog owners live, talk to them.  They may not realize their dog can get out, or that dogs are not allowed to run loose in the neighborhood.  If that fails, you can call the police (703-691-2131) and ask that an animal control officer talk to the neighbor.  The officer will not issue a citation, but will discuss appropriate regulations with the pet owners and try to convince them to do the right thing.

At our May 2000 meeting, Officer Higginbotham said that the most common animal control problem in the county was cats and dogs running loose in other people's yards.  For example, some inconsiderate residents let their dogs run loose at night because they don't want to walk their dogs. 

Ignorance of regulations concerning pets is another recurring problem.  Some dog owners simply don't know that they are required to clean up after their pet when walking outside of their yard.  Also, some owners don't know what their vaccination responsibilities are.  In Fairfax County, authorities estimate that 85% of dogs do not have a dog license, but only have a rabies license.  In Westlawn, no resident may own more than three dogs.

If you observe a problem with a neighbor's pet (running loose in other people's yards, no tags, abuse, etc.), you can talk to your neighbor or call the police (703-691-2131) and ask that an animal control officer talk to the neighbor.  The officer will not issue a citation, but will discuss appropriate regulations with the pet owners and try to convince them to do the right thing.

Neighbors Who Won't Listen
If all reasonable efforts fail, there are more steps you can take to deal with a neighbor that you believe is violating Fairfax Country pet regulations.  If you see a violation in progress, call the police non-emergency number and describe what is happening.  On average, the police will respond in about 15 minutes.  If the officers can see the violation when they arrive, they can write a citation to the pet owner.

If the problem is recurring but not something that the police will ever be able to observe themselves, you can still act.  Ask the police to give you a form to fill out for a magistrate, who can issue a warrant after-the-fact based solely on your testimony.  Don't be discouraged when you see that the form calls for information that you don't have.  Ask the police or animal control officer to confront the pet owner and get the information you need to fill out the form.

Barking Dogs
If you have an uncooperative neighbor with a dog that barks constantly during the day or frequently barks and wakes you up at night, the police can help.  To build a case that a barking dog problem is frequent and habitual, you need to call the police repeatedly to have them observe the activity several times.  If possible, get the same officer to respond.  Also, keep a log of the officers' names and when they came out.  You will need this information to swear out a complaint to a magistrate.

Westlawn residents-if you own pets, understand and pay attention to the regulations.  If you have questions, you can check out the county's Internet site at http://www.fairfax.va.us/ps/ac/ or contact Officer Higginbotham at 703-280-0630 ext. 462.