BILLY SHIELDS: If you head out to a place like Chesterfield's Rockwood Park, you'll see a fair number of folks walking their dogs on leash and off of it.

People like Courtney Tennity and Daisy.

She points out that inside a dog run like this one, two dogs can mix it up.

COURTNEY TENNITY: You know that you're taking that risk.

And when you're out in the- walking the trails at the park, you're not aware that that could be a risk.

And so I don't think it's fair to have that happen to you if you're out walking on the trail, necessarily.

BILLY SHIELDS: She means walking on a trail with a dog off leash.

It's a problem the county's Board of Supervisors is trying to address.

A proposed bylaw would add a rule that dogs must always be on leash while on county property, unless it's a dog run like this.

Some point out a lot of owners safely take their dogs off leash, LILY DIAZ: But at the same time, there's kids, there's families.

Some people do not train their dogs as much as they think they have, and it's just not super safe.

BILLY SHIELDS: She points to her Foxhound Greyhound mix, named Cowboy.

If left off leash, LILY DIAZ: That dog will be God knows where in the woods by the time I finally find him.

Or crashing someone's lunch, doing something naughty.

So he has to stay on the leash in the wild.

BILLY SHIELDS: Tennity told VPM News, she supports tightening the laws within reason.

COURTNEY TENNITY: I mean, I think it makes sense.

I don't like to have strange dogs run up on me and my dog.

But I do enjoy allowing my good girl to be off leash sometimes.

She's got pretty good recall and is, you know, understands the command “wait.” BILLY SHIELDS: The board is slated to discuss the laws January 22nd.

Billy Shields, VPM News.