Rant Time! Leash your dog!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yesterday, I went to the park with my two dogs and had just gotten out of our car and making our way down to where we walk and I spotted a woman with a dog. As we walked forward, I could see the dog was not on a leash and it began to approach us.  I told the woman to get her dog as my dogs were not friendly (my standard response in this situation) and of course, she continued to call the dog and the dog wouldn't listen. I am so fed up with people walking their dogs off leash, I could scream. In almost all of the dogs we have encountered off leash, their owners had absolutely no control over them. My favorite thing of all is when the owner yells, "Don't worry, he or she is friendly!" As far as I am concerned, I don't care if your dog is a good will ambassador for the world, put it on a leash. We have leash laws in our state and they apply to everyone!

Vern would probably be fine, but Fudge is not fine and especially not on a leash. Many dogs are leash aggressive and won't care if your dog is friendly as it approaches. I also don't know if your dog has parasites, etc. and I don't want it near my dogs. Once, I turned a corner and coming up the path was an unleashed dog and the owner was a good quarter mile down the road.  The dog would not listen and she apologized profusely and I stated emphatically that her dog should be on a leash and I still see her wandering about with her dog unleashed. Another time I saw a woman with young children and an unleashed dog let her young daughter walk the dog all about the park, across the road, with no leash in hand, and far enough away from the mom that she could not see the daughter or the dog. What are these people thinking? I could go on and on with these stories about rude dog owners and every chance I get I report them to the park ranger.  Oh, and you and I both know that these are the same owners who do not pick up after their dogs, because rules do not apply to them.

Yesterday when I told the woman her dog should be leashed, she said, "oh, your dogs aren't friendly?" as if my dogs were the problem and not hers. I don't even attempt to be friendly in these situations because I have had it. Leash your dog!! It is my job to protect MY dogs and keep them from harm's way.  You are taking a huge risk to allow your dog to walk up to any dog on a leash!  My dogs made me proud yesterday. They reacted a bit initially and then calmed right down, but if that dog had been leashed our encounter could have been avoided. Rant over!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

John said the same thing...he does not think I should carry a weapon :) LOL

[F, Calla & Luca]

Ha, I believe my dog was leashed. Luca might decide to explore the lovely PA countryside off leash. Rex was another story. He was horrible on leash and who knew about all kinds of collars. But he was fine walking the cul de sac off leash. He was so gentle. But it led to my neighbor across the street not talking to me for 2 years cause his wife was scared. She barely leaves her house. I think she thought Rex should never leave the house either.

[Pauline Rackley]

This is my biggest issue when I walk my dogs. I live in a semi rural area and people (including neighbors) think leashes are not needed. I walk a 75 lb doodle and a 75lb afghan and they become aggressive when approached by off leash dogs. I am terrified that there will be a fight. I carry mace with me, but have never tried to use it. I'm not even sure I would be able to use it or it would help. Any suggestions about how to handle these moronic owners would be welcome.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Maybe an air horn would scare the dogs away....I have no solution, but I have noticed when I take charge and let the owner and dog know to back off, it seems to calm my dogs down. I hope we get some more suggestions.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

Pauline, FYI mace will not stop an aggressive dog as effectively as pepper spray.  Per our trainer (Police K9) dogs have an inner eyelid that will close and protect the eye when it senses mace.  Get something like pepper spray or HALT (used by postal workers) 

And hopefully you will never have to use it!!!

[John Wang]

We took Boomer to a dog park where a family had their Akita. While we were on the outside of the fence, the Akita was pacing back and forth, baring its teeth, biting at the fence and barking. The family said this was normal and he was being playful. I didn't want to put Boomer inside but my SO really wanted to get him in (there were several other dogs inside that had been friendly to Boomer) so we went in anyways...

Less than thirty seconds in, the Akita leaps onto Boomer and bowls him over, biting his belly. Boomer starts barking his head off in pain, I immediately stepped in and literally punched the Akita off of him while my SO dragged him away in his harness. The other family slowly walked to their Akita like it was perfectly normal - slow enough that the akita leaped onto Boomer a second time to bite his leg. My SO picked up Boomer and we took him to the side, where an older guy and his two massive friendly golden retrievers checked over/guarded him over with the Akita prowling nearby. The family just said "weird, he never does that to other dogs" and went about their business without so much an apology.

We were concerned he'd get scarred by this event, but so far he's been okay. He now does like to try and jump on other dogs during our puppy party events that we attend, but we've been disciplining that out of him with the help of the trainers.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Oh yes....the no apology makes me furious too. I hope there is someplace you could report this dog. I know our dog park had a number listed for incidents, I think. I stopped going to dog parks because our one dog became protective of the other one, but also because I saw too many dumb owners that had no clue. That Akita is going to seriously injure another dog or person. I am glad Boomer was ok.

[John Wang]

The only sign at the park says that no pit bulls are allowed as they are considered a violent breed in the park. I'm sorry, but violence is a result of lack of obedience and training, not necessarily genetically inherited. Yeeesh.

We're going to wait until Boomer's hit closer to his 55 lb's before taking him back to the park, and instead keep him socialized via dog parties.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

When we still went to the dog park, the dog Fudge liked the best was a pit bull named Gus. They played great together and truthfully, Fudge was the naughtier of the two.

[Marie Dennen]

Preach it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! On more than one occasion I have had dogs barreling 90 mph at me and my dogs and a woman walking WITH A BABY STROLLER calls out "Don't worry he is friendly" Utterly and completely mind boggling. I cannot tell you what an uncomfortable feeling this is, I truly get scared in the pit of my stomach. Animals are unpredictable. What are you going to do if your dog truly gets in a fight or any number of shenanagins? How will you attend to your child and the dog???? Most places have leash laws. I have warned people I would report them. In this day and age of cell phone photography, a report submitted with photographic evidence is very easy. Don't get me started on retractable leashes. They can and have sliced off fingers. If you have one, go pick it up right now and note the warning on it .

[Brittney & Cally]

and throw it away while your at it!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LIKE!!!!