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As much as I love animals and I think domesticated animals are human's best friends, the practice of having these pets roam around town without any form of restriction is something I find annoying. I have a friend who says, her dog is a lovely pet to her but could be a beast to strangers, this is a reason why I feel animals should never be left without restriction on the street.

We have what we call local dogs in Nigeria, these local dogs are often those street dogs left to roam around the street and get something to eat by themselves. Although these dogs usually just walk around looking for food, I still believe that animals could go wild at any time, and it is very risky to take the chance of trusting them not to hurt humans they do not know. 

<center>https://images.pexels.com/photos/19455688/pexels-photo-19455688/free-photo-of-dog-sticking-out-tongue-on-a-street.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1260&h=750&dpr=1
[pexels.com](https://www.pexels.com/photo/dog-sticking-out-tongue-on-a-street-19455688/)</center></div>

Most times, we find dogs and cats as the animals left to roam around the street unprotected, it is sometimes even surprising to know that these pets left around to roam have owners. The chances of parasites are increased more when an animal is outside, so why would you even want your pet to roam around?   

A pet roaming around the street could get injured by getting hit by a car, falling from a tall height, or getting stuck in some uncompleted fence or building. There are predators around even more than you imagine, the smaller the animal the higher the risk of the predator who may attack them. There are other animals who on the verge of defending themselves would hurt other animals.    

An exposed animal is also at risk of other domestic animals who roam around, some cats and dogs are highly territorial and they will attack others like them who come around the area.  Some humans are also very cruel to animals, leaving your animals to roam about could mean they may get harmed by these humans who practice animal cruelty.

<center>https://images.pexels.com/photos/19453861/pexels-photo-19453861/free-photo-of-portrait-of-cute-cat.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1260&h=750&dpr=1
[pexels.com](https://www.pexels.com/photo/portrait-of-cute-cat-19453861/)</center>

Animals left outside are left vulnerable to elements like; storms, hot weather, and cold weather. As generally believed, the fur would only protect the animal to a certain extent. All animals have their limits and tolerance, during hot weather, animals become dehydrated and experience overheating very fast, this season especially, animals should be left with lots of water and protection.

The density of the human population in an area is identical to the number of free-roaming animals in the area. Free-roaming animals could cause welfare and health issues for both humans and animals alike. Sanitation, health issues, and the risk of disease are increased and it is through this that animal abuse is born in some regions.
 
It is believed also that, cats that roam about freely usually have a shorter lifespan compared to an indoor cat, this reasoning could be greatly attributed to the picking up of diseases and accidents.

#### <center>Conclusion.</center>

Aside from the fact that a free-roaming animal can physically attack humans, even the animals themselves are not safe, as they stand a chance of being infected with diseases and infections, and some of them could even get into the unwarranted danger of human brutality. Pet owners should do better than allow their pets to roam around freely, and government agencies should try to take these animals off the street.

#### <center>References.</center>

[vetncare.com](https://vetncare.com/dangers-of-leaving-animals-outdoors/)

[orangecountync.gov/1331](https://www.orangecountync.gov/1331/Safety-concerns-for-free-roaming-cats)

[frontiersin.org/articles](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00205/full)

[today.tamu.edu/2023/10/19/](https://today.tamu.edu/2023/10/19/how-free-roaming-cats-impact-wildlife-disease-transmission/)

[themayhew.org](https://themayhew.org/how-we-help-free-roaming-animals-around-the-world/)