Dog Owners: Parks & Dogs Off Leash

if there is a leash law you keep the dog on a leash.  I won't get into all the reasons...buts that's the law.  there are plenty of dog parks that will allow dogs to run leash-free.

same thing when I drive to work in the morning.  the law says I must drive 65mph on the highway.  if I choose to ignor it I face getting ticketed.

We have fairly strict leash laws here in Sarasota, particularly at the beach parks.  I also have some neighbors who aren't hesitant about calling animal control if they see a dog or cat off leash in the neighborhood.  (I've had animal control stop at my house a couple of times because my neighbor's cats like to hang out at my place.) 

At the same time, we also have some very nice, well-maintained county dog parks.  We can take my daughter's German Shorthair Pointer to the dog park and let her run until she wears herself out.  It's also nice because she can socialize with other dogs. 

I have some relatives in Michigan who live on an 80 acre farm out in the country who have hunting dogs that they pretty much let run free all the time. 

Mark  

1. If you are breaking the law DON'T do it.

2. When somoen has a dog off a leash  when I'm running my first thought is what are my outs and what can I do to protect myself if this dog attacks me,,,,,, I don't know the dog and I don't care that someone says he won't hurt you. I have to interupt my run to gauge my options.

3. Some children I know of have been attacked by dogs, yes the one's that have never attacked anyone and are totally freaked out by dogs and if they are un-leashed even more panic by this small boy.

4. Dogs are animals with instincts, runners will often trigger a prey or threat response in dogs.

You wouldn't care for my response if you were on the same running path as me with you dog offf the leash. 

Do the RIGHT thing!

Speaking up as a runner, someone who has owned dogs and a dog bite victim the fact that you are at all uncertain of the control you have over your dog says the animal should be on a leash.  We have some areas here that allow sight/sound control but the dog must have passed a test for the license and they are patrolled pretty heavily.  Those animals do not worry me as I've been absolutely amazed by the control they are under off leash.  It's the animals that are not obviously under control that scare me.  My hand will forever bear the marks of the bite I suffered which nearly necessitated hand surgery and it reminds me every day that when I run by an unknown, un-controlled dog my hands are up out of reach and I get very nervous if the dog shows any interest in me.  In fact, in my early days of running you could watch on my HRM just how nervous it made me as there were spikes for every uncontrolled dog I passed. 

If that doesn't phase you let me tell you about the unleashed dog that tried to follow his owners down the street and ran out in front of my car.  I couldn't stop in time (and was only going 30mph, the speed limit) and hit Lady.  We rushed Lady to the animal hospital in my car (owner, owner's 8 year old son, and neighbor all jumped in with me and the dog) but unfortunately she could not be saved.  I'll never, ever forget the look of joy on that dog's face as she ran toward her owner or the look of fear and pain when I rushed over to her after the hit.  I hope to never, ever be a part of that sort of event again.  If only she'd been restrained. 

Here's a link to the Boulder sight/voice control program if you're interested.  It really is amazing to see the dogs that are this well trained.  I can only imagine the dedication it takes.  http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5562&Itemid=411

Sharyn5 - 2010-04-05 11:01 AM Locally, there is a dog park...and an owner brought his two big dogs there, off the leashes. The one dog ended up killing another person's much smaller dog. I think dogs should be on leashes. OR...Have small and large dog parks, separately, if people want to let their dogs run without a leash. I just felt so awful for that little dog owner, whose dog couldn't go up against the bigger one, and died at the park... Just food for thought...it apparently can happen.

That's sad.  Our local dog parks have signs prohibiting aggressive dogs and some specific breeds, like pitbulls.  One of the parks also has a separate (though seldom used) small dog area.  I know in the past that some owners have called animal control when they thought their dogs were being endangered and owners got fined and banned when their dogs were judged to be too aggressive. 

 Mark    

I'm in NZ, so our laws will be completely different to yours. BUT, we seem to have a high rate of dog-mauling of humans here. We have had some absolutely horrific cases in the last few years, when dogs, some of which were legitimately off leashes in designated areas, have taken exception to the presence of a jogger/child/other dog and have reverted to wildness and mauled something/someone.

It's horrific for all, including the poor dog owners who have had no clue that their dog was about to behave in such an out-of-character way until it happened. In one case, the owners were jailed due to their dogs' behaviour. They couldn't have predicted it any more than the wee girl who has attacked. (She is very physically scarred now, as well as the emotional scarring).

You take a risk having your dog off the leash even in a dog park.

On another note, the mountainbike park that my husband and I ride in encourages families to ride as groups, which is fabulous. As you know, dogs are part of families, so we'll often come around a corner and find a dog lying on the track, or sniffing round in the brush beside the track. I can't count the number of flying dismounts that I've done avoiding a dog, or being surprised by one that has been called by its owner and is going cross-country to the sound.  As an athlete, you'll be aware of this, and I'm sure you will act responsibly with Mr. Maxwell Smart!

It's a tough one, when you are a responsible enough owner to be asking about this!

I'm a dog lover, and one for giving dogs a big fuss when they come up to me, but the rest of the world aren't necessarily that way. Furthermore, most people I know are as distressed about hurting a dog as they are about being hurt by one. Maybe don't put people in that position?

Give Max a pat for me, if you would.