To Leash, or not to Leash, that is the question
By Tom Peterson, Joshuah Albert and Aaron Girdham
The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 13, 2026 — With the passage of new dog laws in the City of The Dalles, CCCNews took to the streets to see what locals thought about leashes and licensing. Take a run with us as we fetch some local quotes about what’s going down in dog town.
Steve Harris, The Dalles
”I think it’s a good one. I have seen people with their dogs and they have no control over them. It’s a safety thing and there’s no telling what a stranger’s dog will do. No one want to see someone get hurt.”
Olivia Stackhouse, 43, The Dalles
”It’s a good idea. There’s no telling the background of a dog you don’t know. I rescued a dog from the humane society, so even my dog has problems. I always say, safety first, friends second.”
Jacob Ybarra, 32, The Dalles
”It’s kind of lame. How do I throw a ball or let my dog swim? I don’t like it but it still makes sense to me. When I’m walking my dog, I’ll see other people let their dog run wild. I actually train my dog to not act wild in the parks. What I’ve seen is people who don’t put their dogs on a leash is often the ones that don’t train their dogs. It really does take just a few to ruin it for all of us.”
Aaron Girdham, 17, The Dalles
“I like it. I think its great,” he said. “I’ve seen too many people let their dogs misbehave. It can really spoil the day when a dog acts up. It can be dangerous. I’m totally behind it.”
Alexandre Gifford, 33, The Dalles with her dog Duke
“I think it’s a good idea. It’s really hard to train a dog to walk and behave off leash,” she said. Most dogs on leash have acted very well around Duke.”
Savannah Jones, 23, The Dalles with her dog Tucker
“Yes, people don’t ever have dogs on leash here,” she said. “I work out at the (dog) shelter and we get dogs all the time because they are not on leash. Yesterday, I was at Sorosis (park) and there were seven dogs off leash. Owners are yelling and chasing dogs that are off leash, which easily spooks Tucker.”
Levi Camden, 28, The Dalles
“It’s a little ridiculous to license pets,” he said, noting he owned a golden retriever named August. “That’s my gut reaction. Leashing is understandable but licensing is invasive and its a burden for people. Economically, its bad timing for people.”
