Types

• As of 2010 local, state and federal laws regulating animals roaming at large in the United States included city and county leash laws, state and county guidelines on the confinement and handling of loose livestock, and the federal protection of endangered wildlife species moving onto farm and ranch land.
  
  

Function

• According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the government institutes loose-animal regulations to protect the general public from dangerous and destructive animals and to ensure the right to safety of its citizens. For example, in New York state, anyone attacked by a dangerous dog, or witnessing such an attack, may destroy the dog without fear of retribution.
  
  

Warning

• Running at large statutes encourage animal owners to be responsible for the humane care of their pets. Confinement must be secure and safe as well as healthy for the animal, states the International Institute for Animal Law. This means that confined animals must have access to adequate food, water and shelter.