Bill would allow dogs off leash in Arizona

PHOENIX - Dog owners may soon be allowed to let their dogs run free if a bill currently before the Arizona legislature becomes law.

SB1065 , sponsored by Senator Lori Klein, would remove the current requirement that dogs be on leashes at all times if their owner can prove he or she carries $50,000 of canine liability insurance.

Klein initially set the requirement at $100,000 but reduced it to $50,000 on Monday.

The insurance would cover the owner if their dog causes injury to a person or damage to property while off leash.

"If a dog is restrained on a leash, it's much less likely to cause somebody harm," said personal injury attorney Kevin Fine. "If you remove that leash from the equation, you don't know what the dog might do."

Fine tells ABC15 he's handled multiple dog bite cases over the past few years that have resulted in serious injuries to children.

"I can't imagine a parent saying 'it's OK for a dog to harm my child so long as the owner has adequate insurance,'" Fine said. "That's not how we work in society."

ABC15 has not yet been able to reach Klein for comment on SB1065.

SB1065 is scheduled to be discussed during the Committee on Government Reform at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.