On Thursday morning [June 14], a friend and I were walking our leashed dogs on the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail, when an aggressive dog with no leash came toward us growling and threatening our dogs.

Although the owner grabbed hold of his dog, the dog continued to lunge toward us. My seven-month-old dog tried to get out of the way by heading over a steep slope on the side of the trail, and when I lunged to catch her, I slid down the embankment, injuring my ribs and scraping my arms.

I yelled to the owner to put his dog on a leash, but he said that he did not have a leash and that it would make no difference anyway. He yelled this as I was hanging to the side of the steep embankment with my dog under my arm.

I responded that having an unleashed dog is against the law to prevent just this type of occurrence.

I just want to remind dog owners that leash laws exist for a good reason, and there is no excuse to take a dog on a public trail such as the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail or any others in our area without a leash.

Even if you believe that your dog is well-behaved, interactions with other dogs are unpredictable, which is why our leash laws exist [Riverside County Ordinance 630].

My dog and I will both have bruises for a few days, but we will heal. Someone else might not be so lucky.

Ron Krull
Pine Cove