Do you let your dog off leash ever?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
"Informal dog runs" are all over. I think there fine - owners know their dogs and the trouble dogs are not there and I've never been at one where everyone isn't diligent about cleaning up so I think they are fine and not a problem.

Both of the "informal dog runs" I know of are problems.

In one, several of the dogs who frequent them are problem dogs. Zero recall, owners don't even try to exercise control, the dogs just bound around running up to any other dog or person they want and the owners clearly think this is how it's supposed to be because they are crap dog owners and its never even occurred to them to train this out of their dog. One of these dogs regularly steals food from picnickers at the park -- the owner thinks it's funny and has even told people "this is a dog park -- don't bring food here if you don't want dogs to go after it." But... it's not a dog park. It's a regular park that some (bad) dog owners have colonized to use for their own purposes and in doing so have made it functionally useless for any other use.

The other has better behaved dogs and people don't congregate as much -- they just take their dogs to run them in the park. Which would be okay except that this park is dominated by a large playground in the middle. Dogs are technically not allowed in this park at all -- there are large signs saying they aren't permitted that get ignored. Several of my neighbors use this park as a dog run and I've asked them "doesn't that park say no dogs, because of the playground?" They tell me they always check if there are kids on the playground and there aren't, they still go in but keep their dog on leashes. I guess this ignores the kids who might have gone to the playground but didn't because it was full of off leash dogs. Or the fact that even leashed dogs aren't supposed to be in this park.

In both cases, dog owners have decided their need for a place to run their dogs off leash and socialize them is more important than the actual express purpose of these parks. These are public spaces that are only being used by a subset of the community because their use (which is not even legally permitted, but of course there is no enforcement) ruins it for other people. But I think every one of the dog owners going to these "informal dog runs" (including the guy who lets his dog eat people's food) would say that it's just a few well behaved dogs, what's the problem. They are selfish and lacking in self awareness and truly feel entitled to this.[/quote

That sounds selfish, yes. Irritating and rude. But you know what else is selfish and should be criminal? Keeping a dog breed that is known and connected to lethal attacks on people and other animals. Certain breeds should be banned with forced sterilization of all remaining dogs.

You know what else is selfish and irritating and rude and should be criminal? Continually derailing unrelated threads with your pit bull paranoia, making baseless accusations and completely unsubstantiated points and forcing otherwise useful threads into chaos. There is a thread for this drivel. Go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Brooklyn, and Prospect Park designates three off-leash areas before 9 am for dogs to run around. Sure, there are sometimes dog spats and once in a while dogs get bitten (my own included once), but I have never seen a "bloodbath." There are also runners, birders, and assorted random people in the park at that time, and we all somehow manage to rub along together. This is my dog's favorite part of the day and truly a godsend for me, since he is a very energetic 70 lb German Shepherd/Huskie mix, and I honestly don't think I could exercise him enough solely through my own efforts and my spouse's combined. I can't run around at top speed like he does with the other dogs!

I live in a city with a similar situation. It's been great for the dogs and by 9am, they are leashed. Works out well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
"Informal dog runs" are all over. I think there fine - owners know their dogs and the trouble dogs are not there and I've never been at one where everyone isn't diligent about cleaning up so I think they are fine and not a problem.

Both of the "informal dog runs" I know of are problems.

In one, several of the dogs who frequent them are problem dogs. Zero recall, owners don't even try to exercise control, the dogs just bound around running up to any other dog or person they want and the owners clearly think this is how it's supposed to be because they are crap dog owners and its never even occurred to them to train this out of their dog. One of these dogs regularly steals food from picnickers at the park -- the owner thinks it's funny and has even told people "this is a dog park -- don't bring food here if you don't want dogs to go after it." But... it's not a dog park. It's a regular park that some (bad) dog owners have colonized to use for their own purposes and in doing so have made it functionally useless for any other use.

The other has better behaved dogs and people don't congregate as much -- they just take their dogs to run them in the park. Which would be okay except that this park is dominated by a large playground in the middle. Dogs are technically not allowed in this park at all -- there are large signs saying they aren't permitted that get ignored. Several of my neighbors use this park as a dog run and I've asked them "doesn't that park say no dogs, because of the playground?" They tell me they always check if there are kids on the playground and there aren't, they still go in but keep their dog on leashes. I guess this ignores the kids who might have gone to the playground but didn't because it was full of off leash dogs. Or the fact that even leashed dogs aren't supposed to be in this park.

In both cases, dog owners have decided their need for a place to run their dogs off leash and socialize them is more important than the actual express purpose of these parks. These are public spaces that are only being used by a subset of the community because their use (which is not even legally permitted, but of course there is no enforcement) ruins it for other people. But I think every one of the dog owners going to these "informal dog runs" (including the guy who lets his dog eat people's food) would say that it's just a few well behaved dogs, what's the problem. They are selfish and lacking in self awareness and truly feel entitled to this.

That sounds selfish, yes. Irritating and rude. But you know what else is selfish and should be criminal? Keeping a dog breed that is known and connected to lethal attacks on people and other animals. Certain breeds should be banned with forced sterilization of all remaining dogs.

Okay but that has nothing to do with what I just wrote. To my knowledge, the dogs at these parks aren't killing people or other animals. Their owners are just violating leash laws and being entitled a$$holes. I am not interested in banning dogs, but I don't think it's fair for dog owners to basically take over public parks that are supposed to be for everyone (or are even explicitly for everyone BUT dogs). Our taxes pay for these parks and they were not installed as dog parks.

You can't say anything about dogs here without the anti-pit bullies derailing. They're not sane, they don't respond to logical replies, they're just "old man yells at cloud" on nearly every thread that mentions anything about dogs. It's obnoxious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

Not Op, but my neighborhood has an informal dog park (well area of a park off to the side that owners convene at in the AM on weekdays when kids are not there) and we wouldn’t blame OP, assuming her breed wasn’t aggressive. We’d blame the person who had an aggressive dog. There are no signs banning dogs fwiw, but yes, it’s not an official dog park section.

I’m not sure why some people on here are getting so angry over people using public spaces, and I find it interesting that people can’t think in context. Running your dog with some other well behaved dogs in an area of a park that is empty at certain times of day is not something to get this excited about.

There is no such thing as an "informal dog park". There are parks that have been overtaken by selfish dog owners, rendering them unusable by the rest of the public they're designed for. That's why there are leash laws in the first place, and you know that the laws exist, but some dog owners think it's fine. "a park that is empty at certain times of day" isn't an excuse. Once I see your off-leash dogs there, it's not safe for my children. You've commandeered the space by breaking the laws that would've made it safe for my family to share space with your dog(s).

Again, there should be permit tests and penalties for all dog owners, because so many of you seem to think the laws are just 'guidelines' and don't apply to your 'friendly dog' and it's not friendly, and it's not conscious community behavior. It's entitled nonsense, and if you're part of it, you're a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

I think this says more about others than it does OP. If your dog being too close to another dog could result in a ‘blood bath’ then that’s probably not a dog you should own. Why is this so hard for people to admit?

Why is it so hard for you to follow the basic rules that already exist, and yet you expect other dog owners to follow your bizarro headcanon rules that don't?

The problem is you. When you're doing the right thing, you might have standing to tell other people how to do things. You can't even leash a dog correctly.

STFU and sit. Stay. Good dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Never. I've had my dogs attacked twice (over 20 years, so not common, but still not fun). I walk my dog on leash, I hike with him on leash. With pepper spray.

I send him to a farm based doggie day care to romp around and get that freedom.

Thank you for being responsible. Responsible dog owners are becoming a rare breed these days!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

I think this says more about others than it does OP. If your dog being too close to another dog could result in a ‘blood bath’ then that’s probably not a dog you should own. Why is this so hard for people to admit?

Someone uses bold language to help you understand the risks you're creating, and you decide to blame the owner who's following the law?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

Not Op, but my neighborhood has an informal dog park (well area of a park off to the side that owners convene at in the AM on weekdays when kids are not there) and we wouldn’t blame OP, assuming her breed wasn’t aggressive. We’d blame the person who had an aggressive dog. There are no signs banning dogs fwiw, but yes, it’s not an official dog park section.

I’m not sure why some people on here are getting so angry over people using public spaces, and I find it interesting that people can’t think in context. Running your dog with some other well behaved dogs in an area of a park that is empty at certain times of day is not something to get this excited about.

The problem is the dogs being off leash.

It's fine to gather with other dog owners in a park so your dogs can socialize. I don't know anyone who has a problem with this.

OP is wrong for letting her dog off leash (it's against the law) which will make it harder for her to get her dog away if someone tried to attack it. Also, by participating in a group of dog owners letting dogs off leash, this provides cover to someone with an aggressive dog who will do the same. Everyone is doing it, right? Well then what do you do about the idiots with the aggressive, untrained dog who also want to participate in the "informal dog park"? You can't do anything because you are engaging in the exact same behavior.

If everyone leashes their dog, none of these problems exist. Leash your dog.

Exactly. It's really not that deep, or at all complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

I think this says more about others than it does OP. If your dog being too close to another dog could result in a ‘blood bath’ then that’s probably not a dog you should own. Why is this so hard for people to admit?

PP here and I don't even have a dog. Off leash dogs create dangerous situations because the owners can't control the dogs if something goes wrong. I have encountered off leash dogs where an aggressive dog is chasing another dog (who is presumably not aggressive since it's running away) and that is a stressful and dangerous situation for all involved. It's terrifying for kids and honestly pretty scary for adults too because it just feels out of control. These are animals.

You might think "oh that's just the fault of the owner of the aggressive dog" but most other people don't view it that way. Yeah, that person sucks but the other owner is also breaking the law and creating a situation where a full on dog fight can happen in a public park. And if the owner of the non-aggressive dog is letting their dog off leash, that creates a situation where the owner of the aggressive dog feels they can get away with it too. It's creating a permissive environment that people will try to take advantage of.

Leash laws exist for a reason and no ones dog is the exception. Just leash your dog. Even your sweet dog could knock over or terrify a little kid if they were startled or excited, so just put your dog on a leash and spare everyone the trouble.

Truth is spoken here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

Not Op, but my neighborhood has an informal dog park (well area of a park off to the side that owners convene at in the AM on weekdays when kids are not there) and we wouldn’t blame OP, assuming her breed wasn’t aggressive. We’d blame the person who had an aggressive dog. There are no signs banning dogs fwiw, but yes, it’s not an official dog park section.

I’m not sure why some people on here are getting so angry over people using public spaces, and I find it interesting that people can’t think in context. Running your dog with some other well behaved dogs in an area of a park that is empty at certain times of day is not something to get this excited about.

The problem is the dogs being off leash.

It's fine to gather with other dog owners in a park so your dogs can socialize. I don't know anyone who has a problem with this.

OP is wrong for letting her dog off leash (it's against the law) which will make it harder for her to get her dog away if someone tried to attack it. Also, by participating in a group of dog owners letting dogs off leash, this provides cover to someone with an aggressive dog who will do the same. Everyone is doing it, right? Well then what do you do about the idiots with the aggressive, untrained dog who also want to participate in the "informal dog park"? You can't do anything because you are engaging in the exact same behavior.

If everyone leashes their dog, none of these problems exist. Leash your dog.

The problem is people who insist on owning aggressive breed dogs.

No it's not, and repeating your garbage take won't make it true. It will just make it harder for anyone to listen to your side of the argument

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

I think this says more about others than it does OP. If your dog being too close to another dog could result in a ‘blood bath’ then that’s probably not a dog you should own. Why is this so hard for people to admit?

I'm confused, if my dog is dangerous to other dogs but I keep them on a leash away from other dogs and your off the leash dog approaches us and my dog attacks, you think it's my fault for owning a dog that will attack a dog that approaches it?

Are you reading what you wrote?? You have a dangerous dog. You shouldn’t own that dog, period. People make mistakes, you will probably make a mistake. And if that mistake is likely to result in blood shed, then no YOU are wrong to have that dog. My neighbors havinese might be annoying to you, but she doesn’t deserve to die bc she got too close to your pit bull.

Yes I know what I wrote.

I had a amazing, wonderful, well trained dog.

It was attacked while on a leash and needed 35 stitches and injured it's leg needing a cast.

When it healed it will attack any strange dogs that approach it. It will not attack dogs that it knew pre attack.

I only walk the dog in areas with nobody around and if I see someone coming, I walk 10 feet off the path and have her sit and I tell the other person, my dog is not safe with other dogs.

What you think I should do is put my dog down because some owner might let their dog off their leash and my dog might attack it

This has happened.... I have run home, I have grabbed by dog around the neck while the other dog owner catches them... but you think...put her down?

Yeah this thread is just one psychotic person making a stupid argument (that you should be allowed to let dogs off leash in violation of the law because anything bad that might happen is entirely the fault of a small group of bad dogs) and then a bunch of reasonable people argument with the psychotic person.

It's ironic because in this situation, most of us are the leashed dogs minding our own freaking business and following the law, and OP is the aggressive, untrained dog running around off leash terrorizing everyone.

Not op but many of you are not very bright. There’s a big difference between letting a dog run loose everywhere and letting a dog out in a small semi contained area with other pet owners who have well behaved dogs who have all agreed to let their dogs socialize together during periods of time when others aren’t using the area.

If by "semi contained" you mean a pubic park where leashes are required, then you are the one who is not very bright. It is against the law and yes you will be held accountable if anything happens to your dog or if your dog does anything to harm anyone else because you are violating leash laws. I know you just can't imagine that anything bad could ever happen with your dog off leash because you can't see the world beyond the tip of your dog's nose, but yes you are accountable, you are legally liable, you are breaking the law.

Leash your dog.

Leash your dog.

Leash your dog.

Leash your dog.

(I don't care about pit bulls, this post isn't about pit bulls, I don't have an aggressive dog, I just really want people to leash their freaking dogs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

I think this says more about others than it does OP. If your dog being too close to another dog could result in a ‘blood bath’ then that’s probably not a dog you should own. Why is this so hard for people to admit?

PP here and I don't even have a dog. Off leash dogs create dangerous situations because the owners can't control the dogs if something goes wrong. I have encountered off leash dogs where an aggressive dog is chasing another dog (who is presumably not aggressive since it's running away) and that is a stressful and dangerous situation for all involved. It's terrifying for kids and honestly pretty scary for adults too because it just feels out of control. These are animals.

You might think "oh that's just the fault of the owner of the aggressive dog" but most other people don't view it that way. Yeah, that person sucks but the other owner is also breaking the law and creating a situation where a full on dog fight can happen in a public park. And if the owner of the non-aggressive dog is letting their dog off leash, that creates a situation where the owner of the aggressive dog feels they can get away with it too. It's creating a permissive environment that people will try to take advantage of.

Leash laws exist for a reason and no ones dog is the exception. Just leash your dog. Even your sweet dog could knock over or terrify a little kid if they were startled or excited, so just put your dog on a leash and spare everyone the trouble.

And dog breed bans exist for a reason. Frankly there should be more of them, and shelters should be held liable for letting these aggressive dogs into communities with other pets and children.

And this solve the problem of an off-leash poodle knocking my kid to the ground how?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Brooklyn, and Prospect Park designates three off-leash areas before 9 am for dogs to run around. Sure, there are sometimes dog spats and once in a while dogs get bitten (my own included once), but I have never seen a "bloodbath." There are also runners, birders, and assorted random people in the park at that time, and we all somehow manage to rub along together. This is my dog's favorite part of the day and truly a godsend for me, since he is a very energetic 70 lb German Shepherd/Huskie mix, and I honestly don't think I could exercise him enough solely through my own efforts and my spouse's combined. I can't run around at top speed like he does with the other dogs!

I live in a city with a similar situation. It's been great for the dogs and by 9am, they are leashed. Works out well.

I would happily support a designation like this at the park near us where dog owners frequently let dogs off leash. The park is used by a nearby elementary school for recess during the day, but those times are tightly scheduled so it would be very easy to designate "off leash" times at the park that wouldn't overlap with the kids, and then make sure the park is available for multi-use the rest of the time.

I will suggest this to the dog owners in my neighborhood. I am so tired of there ALWAYS being dogs off leash at the park. One of my kids is scared of dogs and won't go to the playground at all if there is an off leash dog nearby (she is fine if the dog is on a leash and keeps its distance).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I do with our dog in a section of a park nearby our home, it’s an informal dog run that all of our neighbors with dogs use. They love the socialization.

But reading the other threads about dog attacks makes me think we should stop.

We have a golden retriever who would never hurt a flea, but I don’t want someone to think because I had my dog off leash that she deserved to be attacked.

OP the answer to your question is that yes, if your dog get attacked at this "informal" (meaning illegal) dog park while off leash, people will blame YOU for your dog being attacked. No one will blame your dog, who isn't making any of these [terrible] choices -- you are. And yes there will also be blame for the owner of the aggressive dog who attacks your dog. But it will be shared with you for doing an irresponsible and illegal thing and leaving your dog off leash.

You are contributing to a potentially dangerous situation by letting your dog off leash, even if your dog is not aggressive. This is on you.

I think this says more about others than it does OP. If your dog being too close to another dog could result in a ‘blood bath’ then that’s probably not a dog you should own. Why is this so hard for people to admit?

PP here and I don't even have a dog. Off leash dogs create dangerous situations because the owners can't control the dogs if something goes wrong. I have encountered off leash dogs where an aggressive dog is chasing another dog (who is presumably not aggressive since it's running away) and that is a stressful and dangerous situation for all involved. It's terrifying for kids and honestly pretty scary for adults too because it just feels out of control. These are animals.

You might think "oh that's just the fault of the owner of the aggressive dog" but most other people don't view it that way. Yeah, that person sucks but the other owner is also breaking the law and creating a situation where a full on dog fight can happen in a public park. And if the owner of the non-aggressive dog is letting their dog off leash, that creates a situation where the owner of the aggressive dog feels they can get away with it too. It's creating a permissive environment that people will try to take advantage of.

Leash laws exist for a reason and no ones dog is the exception. Just leash your dog. Even your sweet dog could knock over or terrify a little kid if they were startled or excited, so just put your dog on a leash and spare everyone the trouble.

And dog breed bans exist for a reason. Frankly there should be more of them, and shelters should be held liable for letting these aggressive dogs into communities with other pets and children.

You can't solve this problem with breed bans.

Even if you ban the breeds you want to ban, off leash dogs are still a problem because any dog can become aggressive and dangerous if abused or trained into it.

So if you want support for breed bans, that's a separate issue. Make that argument but make it somewhere else. All dogs should be leashed in public parks (and any public area) unless it's a designated dog run (NOT an "informal dog run" that is actually an unfenced part of a multi-use park). It's the law and people who let their dogs off leash in public spaces are putting other people, other dogs, AND their own dog at risk. They are breaking the law.

Leash. Your. Dog. There is no argument here.

No, you can’t fix every issue with breed bans. All dogs may bite. What you continually ignore is that some dog bites are worse than others. You can greatly reduce violent attacks with breed bans. Pretty sure my municipality knows better than you and that is why they banned certain breeds from densely packed housing.

You trust your municipality's judgment, but you're willing to disregard their laws?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There is no such thing as an "informal dog run". There may be a group of dog owners regularly breaking the law. That doesn't make it legal.

+1

This. Go to an actual dog run or keep your dog on leash. It's simple.