Is it fair that a person should get tickets for having an off-leash dog? Reduce the injustice by sharing the responsibility for this situation.

Background:

Some parks and recreational areas prohibit off-leash dogs.

If a person brings a dog to one of these areas and lets it run around off-leash, there’s the possibility that this person will be issued a citation and a small fine (Figure 1).

Fig. 1: A person might have to pay a fine for bringing an unleashed dog to a park.

Proposal:

However: is it really fair for only the human to be issued the fine? After all, the dog is an absolutely crucial component of this situation as well, and there is ample precedent in history of animals being held responsible for crimes (as determined by human law): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_trial.

Thus, the proposal is that the off-leash dog should also get a fine, as shown in Figure 2.

Fig. 2: Here, we see a more equitable situation, where the human and the dog are both issued citations.

Closing Thoughts:

Since the dog has no money, and presumably cannot read, the dog ticket can just say “BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK” over and over.

Although the human will still have to pay the fine, at least they can take comfort in the fact that the dog is also held partially responsible.

PROS: An important step in justice reform.

CONS: Bark bark bark bark bark bark bark.

Originally published 2025-07-21