Ask the Mayor: What Can Be Done About Loose Dogs?

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column. Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at (808) 270-7855,  [email protected]  or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Mayor:

Q: Some homeless people have their dogs stay with them and sleep by the roadside, but the worst that they do is, they’re not able control their pets. It’s dangerous to passers-by.

Yesterday, my brother walked my dogs in Kamali‘i Park in Kahului.

A homeless woman let her big dog loose and it attacked my brother and my dogs.

Her dog was so huge that it was hard and scary to stop it.

My small dog almost lost her leg from the attack.

I also encounter this problem whenever I take my morning walk on Alamaha Street in Kahului.

A: I’m sorry to hear that your brother and your dogs were attacked.

This is not as much a homeless issue as it is a violation of Maui County’s leash law, which should be directed to Maui Humane Society (MHS) for enforcement.

Contact MHS directly at 877-3680, ext. 211, or visit www.mauihumanesociety.org and click on “Services and Programs,” then select “Humane Enforcement” and the “Leash Laws” tab.

You may also want to document the violation if it is safe to do so, using a cell phone or other camera.