Is it time for dog owners to take the lead?

[Beamer]

Im very sorry but as a mother I would not be happy if I come across a dog roaming free where any children are likely to be...no matter how soppy or soft they are......Connor had a bad experience with a friends dog and I am extremely careful about him around any dog

Im sure lots of people have wonderfully well trained dogs but in any public place they should be on a lead. Take them to a field away from people and let them run etc...there are loads of places that are dog walks......and I dont go to them because we may come across one that will be scarey and undo all the hard work I have put in trying to help Connor get over his fear....Im sure once he is bigger it will be easier but having a 'lovely' chocolate lab jump on his back and dig its claws in him leaving deep scratches down both sides has left a lasting impression.

So if you let your dog off its lead please be aware some people will take offence and get cross because of previous incidents with dogs off leads and that will stick with them no matter what the owner may say.

Probably stereotyping but at the end of the day my childs welfare will come first. (Hence we do not tend to go for walks where there may be loose dogs.)


P.S. I am a dog lover too...but I will not own one...took me long enough to come round to having a kitten lol

[NiteW4tcher]

Im very sorry but as a mother I would not be happy if I come across a dog roaming free where any children are likely to be...no matter how soppy or soft they are......Connor had a bad experience with a friends dog and I am extremely careful about him around any dog

Im sure lots of people have wonderfully well trained dogs but in any public place they should be on a lead. Take them to a field away from people and let them run etc...there are loads of places that are dog walks......and I dont go to them because we may come across one that will be scarey and undo all the hard work I have put in trying to help Connor get over his fear....Im sure once he is bigger it will be easier but having a 'lovely' chocolate jab jump on his back and dig its claws in him has left a lasting impression.

So if you let your dog off its lead please be aware some people will take offence and get cross because of previous incidents with dogs off leads and that will stick with them no matter what the owner may say.

Probably stereotyping but at the end of the day my childs welfare will come first. (Hence we do not tend to go for walks where there may be loose dogs.)


P.S. I am a dog lover too...but I will not own one...took me long enough to come round to having a kitten lol

i understand your point and its a valid one. reveres it now. i live by a park dedicated to dogs there is a LARGE sign stating this. yet we find family's trying to have picnics there and then give me dog walkers ****.

thankfully there are sensible people like yourself who stay away from dog areas

[Squashed_Fly]

Im very sorry but as a mother I would not be happy if I come across a dog roaming free where any children are likely to be...no matter how soppy or soft they are......Connor had a bad experience with a friends dog and I am extremely careful about him around any dog

If another child attacked him, and he was frightened to go near other kids, would you insist that all other children should be on leads as well?

Well behaved, well trained dogs have just as much right to be off the lead as well behaved children. That said, I still wouldn't take rolo into a playground. But not becasue I was worried he would attack. But if we go to the beach, or to the country park/woods etc, it would be cruel to keep him leashed.

I won't say too much more on the subject, as it can be a contentious one from a worried parents pint of view, especially one that's not a dog owner, but you have to keep personal feelings aside and look at the big picture when making judgements. It's only natural for you to feel how you do if Connor had a bad experience. But I could show you clips online of children almost beating each other to death for fun and videoing it. Look at the Bulger killers....

[DaytonaDog]

Dog attacks are very isolated incidents when you consider the number of dogs owned in this country and the majority of dog owners are responsible people. Most complaints received about dog attacks are from dogs owners complaining that another dog has attacked theirs. I have investigated a few of these types of complaints as have my colleagues and I have only ever investigated one incident where a dog attacked a human. I won't go into details but owners were not responsible and provoked the situation leading to the dog attacking.

As SF has already stated there are no bad dogs just bad owners. As is often the case, when an incident occurs like this, it invokes a knee jerk reaction, with people calling for a change in the legislation, with the end result being that the vast majority suffer. For example after Dunblane, the legal ownership of handguns was outlawed, with the law abiding gun owners punished. Has this stopped the use of handguns by criminals. Most certainly not.

I own a dog, and take my responsbilities very seriously. Fortunately my hound is a big softy with an excellent temperament and I am confident that he wouldn't hurt a flea. However he had a tendency when he was a puppy to go bounding up to people out walking and being of the larger breed of dog this could be daunting for those uncomfortable with dog, so I took it upon myself to obtain some specialist training to stop this from happening. Dogs need exercise and stimulation and the opportunity to have a run around and socialise with other dogs. This cannot be done on a lead.

Unfortunately there are elements of society who are purchasing certain types of dog, i.e, pit bulls and staffies, as a status symbol and as a weapon of choice. One such colourful character said his reason for having his dog was that he would only get a fine if his dog attacked somebody as opposed to a potential custodial sentence for possessing a knife.

There is currently legislation that deals with dangerous dogs and dogs out of control. Instead of drafting new legislation, maybe the answer would be to have stronger punishments for committing offences under the current legislation in existance.

[NiteW4tcher]

I own a dog, and take my responsbilities very seriously. Fortunately my hound is a big softy with an excellent temperament and I am confident that he wouldn't hurt a flea. However he had a tendency when he was a puppy to go bounding up to people out walking and being of the larger breed of dog this could be daunting for those uncomfortable with dog, so I took it upon myself to obtain some specialist training to stop this from happening. Dogs need exercise and stimulation and the opportunity to have a run around and socialise with other dogs. This cannot be done on a lead.

well said i have same issue because sky is larger breed and very boundy and excitable

[Rabb]

I had to put my best friend to sleep just before Christmas.
We are still missing him dreadfully.
My boy "Oscar" was a Beagle and we called him 'The King of all dogs'.

I only had one occasion where this 'off the lead' thing was an issue for us.

We were out in a dog friendly park area where I live having our usual two hour walk / sniff.
It was late November and it was dark (8:00pm).
We were both walking along a path and came across a couple who were about 25 feet off the path looking through a fence, onto a new house build.

Obviously, it was night and my dog barked to alert me that someone was around.
Bearing in mind that my dog did not make a move towards these people their actions were completely inappropriate (As follows):
The guy ran at us (25ft) to attempt a kick at my dog. I blocked him and said that if he attempted that again I would deck him. He them proceeded to tell me that if his 3 and a half year old daughter had been there she would have been terrified (She wasn't there anyway???)
I then said to him "Your daughter is not here" - he said "No - she's in the car"
I then said "do you think it's wise to leave your three and a half year old daughter alone in the car?" He then disapeared rather quickly with his tail between his legs!
Bearing in mind that my dog only barked once and made no move towards them -their actions were completely unbelievable.
I do understand that some people are afraid of dogs and I (as a responsible dog owner) would put a dog on the lead if it was requested however, there are ways of getting your point across without
trying to kick a defenceless animal - Shocking!

[Squashed_Fly]

[quote author=DaytonaDog link=1327263661/13#13 date=1327271395]

I own a dog, and take my responsbilities very seriously. Fortunately my hound is a big softy with an excellent temperament and I am confident that he wouldn't hurt a flea. However he had a tendency when he was a puppy to go bounding up to people out walking and being of the larger breed of dog this could be daunting for those uncomfortable with dog, so I took it upon myself to obtain some specialist training to stop this from happening. Dogs need exercise and stimulation and the opportunity to have a run around and socialise with other dogs. This cannot be done on a lead.

well said i have same issue because sky is larger breed and very boundy and excitable
[/quote]

Same with Rolo. 2 Year old choccy lab, just wants to jump up and lick everyone to death. It's easy to see why that can come accross as scary to a non-dog person, hence why we pop him on his lead if there are large groups of people/kids nearby.

He doesn't understand that friendly lick could be mis-construed as an attempted attack. He just wants to give everyone kisses and show them how much of an overwhelming enthusiasm for life he has!

We tend to walk him in places though, where there are lots of dog people out as well. I don't mean your local park with the idiots that have their chihuahuas on leads, or in handbags, ordering me to keep my dog on a lead. I mean open areas with lots of dog owners that actually have a clue about dogs and let them run and socialise together. Anyone who knows about dogs, will know they are lots more defensive/aggressive when on a lead than off it.

[Rossio]

Terriers do no damage.....really?? never been out with the hounds then? terriers are lethal little things! i currently have 3 spaniels, one is a guy who i shoot with that is here for training and my huntaway, this third spaniel is a bit snappy but training a dog is the best challenge you can take on, that said iv had him for 10 days now and hes is fine,the guy was quite offended when i asked him to come for a weekend because its him who needs training now, in my experience if you use your dog for the purpose it is bred for you wont have to worry about being in public parks etc, a working dog is a happy dog. i must confess im not a believer in having a dog as a pet, like everything if it has no purpose why have it?

[wiltshire builders]

in my experience if you use your dog for the purpose it is bred for you wont have to worry about being in public parks etc, a working dog is a happy dog. i must confess im not a believer in having a dog as a pet, like everything if it has no purpose why have it?

Totally agree, but I should keep the lid handy for the can of worms you've just opened.

[Rossio]

[quote author=Rossio link=1327263661/17#17 date=1327294175] in my experience if you use your dog for the purpose it is bred for you wont have to worry about being in public parks etc, a working dog is a happy dog. i must confess im not a believer in having a dog as a pet, like everything if it has no purpose why have it?

Totally agree, but I should keep the lid handy for the can of worms you've just opened.
[/quote]

I stand firmly by my statement so let the ridicule begin There are far too many dogs in rescue centres and being abandoned all of wich are because they are cute as puppies and when things go wrong they are expensive, Im not for a second saying that anybody's dog is not cared for properly but the only time i need to have my dogs in a public place is when we go to the vets (shooting season thats usually about 6 times) so never any problems