KWES NewsWest 9 / Midland, Odessa, Big Spring, TX: newswest9.com | Dog attack at Tent Rocks leads to ban on dogs

Dog attack at Tent Rocks leads to ban on dogs

Associated Press - May 21, 2009 10:25 AM ET

KASHA-KATUWE TENT ROCKS NATIONAL MONUMENT, N.M. (AP) - It doesn't matter if a dog is on a leash or not - it's not allowed at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

The Bureau of Land Management says dogs are banned at the monument as of Saturday.

Public hearings on the ban are planned later.

Monument manager Danny Randall says a hiker was bitten on both arms last week by a loose dog whose owners sped away.

The monument is popular with school kids, and Randall says loose dogs and kids are an accident waiting to happen.

Randall also says many owners aren't abiding by the monument's rule that dogs must be leashed, and they aren't picking up after their dogs.

The ban does not apply to assistance dogs.

Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com

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