Enforcement generally relies on someone spotting a dog running loose and calling it in. I used to have a problem with a dog two doors away who was large and nasty and would go after anyone. He regularly got out of his yard. People repeatedly called the police, but by the time they got there, the owners would have him rounded up and indoors. If the police didn't catch the dog in the act, or if no one was willing to swear out a complaint against the dog, there was nothing they could except give the owners a warning. One say I noticed the dog out again, and I noticed a neighbor coming down the block walking her tiny dog. I called out to her to warn her about the nasty dog, and she put her dog back in the house and called the cops. Only, becuase she's also a police officer, she knew who to call and what to tell them. Dog was gone by the time they got there, but she was willing to swear out a complaint, so they got fined. And since we have breed specific regulations and the dog was a Rotweiler, the fines were double. That was the last time we saw that dog loose. If the owner could not be found or wasn't known, the police would have likely called Animal Control, who would come and round up the dog and take it to the AC shelter. The owners would have to bail it out, paying a fine for dog running loose, and if they could not produce a tag or certificate, fines for not having a licence for the dog and not having current rabies vacination. Plus they would have to pay boarding for every day the dog was held. Gets expensive. They also have a leash law for cats, but it's never enforced unless someone traps a cat and takes it to Animal Control and they can trace the owner.
