Why don't you leash your dog?

[Anonymous]

For my fellow Montgomery County residents, here are the applicable laws: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices/asd/laws.html

Animal Trespass (Montgomery County Code, Sec. 5-203(a)(3)) -
An owner must not allow an animal to enter private property without the property owner’s permission. ($100 fine)
At Large -
Any dog is at large if it is outside the owner’s premises and not leashed, unless it is a service dog, is in a dog exercise area designated by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, or is participating in an approved activity.
Any other animal (i.e., cat or livestock animal) is at large if it is outside the owner’s premises and not leashed or immediately responsive to verbal or non-verbal direction.
The common area of a homeowner’s association, condominium or cooperative is not the owner’s premises.
($100 fine for first offense; $500 fine for each subsequent violation)

Unwanted Contact -
The pet owner must prevent unwelcome or unsolicited threatening physical contact or close proximity to a person or a domestic animal that occurs outside the owner’s property that may cause alarm in a reasonable person, such as biting, chasing, tracking, inhibiting movement, or jumping. ($500 fine)


Animal Defecation (“pooper scooper” law) (Montgomery County Code, Sec. 5-203(a)(2)) -[u]
An owner must not allow an animal to damage or defecate on property outside of the owner’s property. An animal may defecate on public property or the common area of property in which the owner shares an interest if the owner immediately removes and disposes of the feces by a sanitary method approved by the Director. Feces may be picked up in a plastic bag. If this bag is placed inside another plastic bag, it may be put out for disposal in your normal household trash. ($100 fine)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YOu have 2 questions. Why don't you leash your dog and why do you think its ok for your dog to attack others.

To answer the first, I let my dogs run in wooded areas because they need the exercise and its good for them, I rarely see people and when I do my dogs ignore them. My dogs also come back to me when I call them.
I would assume most of the dogs you see also go back to their owner when called. I dog that is " out of control" is not a dog most owners would let off the leash. Just because it is loose does not mean it is out of control.

To answer the 2nd part, I cant really because my dogs dont attack people, Again though, I douby most dogs off leash are attacking people, they wouldnt be allowed off leash if they did.
Assuming you mean attack as in the dog has an intent to injure you or cause bodily harm..........most dogs are not out to attack random humans.

Translation - leash laws are for *other* dogs, and other people. *My* dogs are special, and so it's OK that they are off-leash.

Thank you for demonstrating what the PP said earlier - "The only answer here is because people are self centered assholes."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For my fellow Montgomery County residents, here are the applicable laws: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices/asd/laws.html

Animal Trespass (Montgomery County Code, Sec. 5-203(a)(3)) -
An owner must not allow an animal to enter private property without the property owner’s permission. ($100 fine)
At Large -
Any dog is at large if it is outside the owner’s premises and not leashed, unless it is a service dog, is in a dog exercise area designated by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, or is participating in an approved activity.
Any other animal (i.e., cat or livestock animal) is at large if it is outside the owner’s premises and not leashed or immediately responsive to verbal or non-verbal direction.
The common area of a homeowner’s association, condominium or cooperative is not the owner’s premises.
($100 fine for first offense; $500 fine for each subsequent violation)

Unwanted Contact -
The pet owner must prevent unwelcome or unsolicited threatening physical contact or close proximity to a person or a domestic animal that occurs outside the owner’s property that may cause alarm in a reasonable person, such as biting, chasing, tracking, inhibiting movement, or jumping. ($500 fine)


Animal Defecation (“pooper scooper” law) (Montgomery County Code, Sec. 5-203(a)(2)) -[u]
An owner must not allow an animal to damage or defecate on property outside of the owner’s property. An animal may defecate on public property or the common area of property in which the owner shares an interest if the owner immediately removes and disposes of the feces by a sanitary method approved by the Director. Feces may be picked up in a plastic bag. If this bag is placed inside another plastic bag, it may be put out for disposal in your normal household trash. ($100 fine)

None of this matters to self centered assholes.

I had a guy in my neighborhood - who works for the Park Police, no less - tell me he didn’t care what the law said, he was going to continue to let his dog off leash.

Self Centered Asshole, indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah, the age old question.

The only answer here is because people are self centered assholes.

This is the one and only answer.

[Anonymous]

Because the dog likes to run and there’s no place to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the dog likes to run and there’s no place to do that.

There are plenty of dog parks in the area. But again, people don’t want to drive to them, or be inconvenienced in any way, so, they behave like SELF CENTERED ASSHOLES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the dog likes to run and there’s no place to do that.

Yes, it’s cruel for people who cannot meet a dog’s needs to get a dog. But lots of them do because they want one anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah, the age old question.

The only answer here is because people are self centered assholes.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because the dog likes to run and there’s no place to do that.

Yes, it’s cruel for people who cannot meet a dog’s needs to get a dog. But lots of them do because they want one anyway.

+1

A dog is a responsibility, not a right. It's certainly not a fashion accessory. Either you're willing to change your life to add a dog or you shouldn't get one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the dog likes to run and there’s no place to do that.

Option #1: get a yard big enough for the dog to run in
Option #2: go to a dog park
Option #3: don’t have a dog

[Anonymous]

I don't mind seeing dogs off leash.

I used to have a dog that had fear aggression, and the problem with that was other dogs were running up to him. As long as other dogs stayed away from my dog, I couldn't have cared less that they were off leash. My dog was leashed.

If dogs are unleashed, but know not to run up to fearful people, or fearful dogs, I couldn't care less they're off leash. They're getting exercise, they're happy, the owner is happy, I'm happy.

If the dog cannot be counted on not to run up to random people/pets, then they need to have the leash clipped back on when the owner is approaching people.

This would work for me. In fact, where I currently live, this is the way most people behave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't mind seeing dogs off leash.

I used to have a dog that had fear aggression, and the problem with that was other dogs were running up to him. As long as other dogs stayed away from my dog, I couldn't have cared less that they were off leash. My dog was leashed.

If dogs are unleashed, but know not to run up to fearful people, or fearful dogs, I couldn't care less they're off leash. They're getting exercise, they're happy, the owner is happy, I'm happy.

If the dog cannot be counted on not to run up to random people/pets, then they need to have the leash clipped back on when the owner is approaching people.

This would work for me. In fact, where I currently live, this is the way most people behave.

A big problem with dogs off leash is that the entitled owners are even less likely to pick up after them when they aren’t walking with the dog. People and kids shouldn’t need to encounter dog crap in a public park. Even in bushes or whatever. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dog is frightened of and aggressive toward most other dogs, and we have reason to believe that she was abused--and possibly involved in dog fighting--before we adopted her. We steer clear of places where we might run into other dogs, and cross the street with ample room to spare to avoid other dog walkers.

When your mild-mannered dog runs up to my leashed one, a fight may ensue. My emotionally unstable dog is probably the jerk who "started it," but then she's on a leash and yours is the one who ran up to us, all the while you're yelling to me not to worry because your dog is friendly. Unless you're a dog behaviorist, you probably can't anticipate how your otherwise calm dog will behave once it encounters mine.

I understand that my dog is the outlier, and know that the onus is on us to avoid pet stores, parks, even the kinds of trails that OP describes. But I have to walk her somewhere, and have had dogs run up to us on suburban sidewalks. It happens rarely, but it does happen.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't mind seeing dogs off leash.

I used to have a dog that had fear aggression, and the problem with that was other dogs were running up to him. As long as other dogs stayed away from my dog, I couldn't have cared less that they were off leash. My dog was leashed.

If dogs are unleashed, but know not to run up to fearful people, or fearful dogs, I couldn't care less they're off leash. They're getting exercise, they're happy, the owner is happy, I'm happy.

If the dog cannot be counted on not to run up to random people/pets, then they need to have the leash clipped back on when the owner is approaching people.

This would work for me. In fact, where I currently live, this is the way most people behave.

This works in theory. In practice, the owner needs to be able to run faster than his or her excited dog to make it work every time. All it takes is an unleashed dog catching up to a fear-aggressive dog once to start a dog fight that results in injury.

I’ve seen dogs run into the street in front of cars to try to “greet” other dogs. It’s awful. I’ve also seen an unleashed dog run up to a working police German Shepherd and almost get mauled.

[Anonymous]

What kind of people don’t like dogs?