Do you let your dog off leash ever?
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Anonymous
I do. But in the real world it is common and expected that an unleashed dog may approach in public. So common, in fact, that this is a very active thread. Dogs greeting in public is also not an inherently dangerous thing. Well socialized dogs (which are created by thoughtful and good owners) do not attack just because another dog comes near it. So you have to be prepared for common situations that your dog may face and it is clearly the responsibility of the owner to properly train their dog for such occurrences. If your dog is aggressive in common situations that other well adjusted dogs can handle without becoming violent then the problem is with YOU. |
Anonymous
Nobody said that quote you just invented out of thin air. I am simply saying that the owner of an aggressive dog is responsible if their dog attacks a non-aggressive dog. That’s it. Basic accountability for the actions of a known aggressive dog in public. |
Anonymous
Because normal dog greetings are different than abnormal human greetings. There is a social code between dogs. There is a different social code between humans. The answer is to properly socialize dogs and humans so that nobody starts attacking one another just because they are nearby. Dogs greeting is not anything like a stranger hugging you. And if someone I meet innocently tries to hug me? I just back away. I don’t assault them. |
Only in your extraordinarily vivid imagination, honey. They are figments of your paranoid mind.
Anonymous
A friendly dog approaching is nothing that needs to be defended against. That’s the psycho part. |
Anonymous
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I don't have a dog and don't have an aggressive dog.
Please leash your dog at the park unless you are in a designated off leash areas. Designated by local authorities, not just a group of renegade dog owners. Plenty of humans don't want to interact with off leash dogs, especially at a park where there are likely to be children present. The same applies in hiking trails -- absolutely no off leash dogs because lots of people don't want to worry about encountering even a friendly dog off leash on a narrow trail. That's it. This side conversation about aggressive dogs is a distraction. I want nothing to do with aggressive dogs. But even non aggressive dog should be on leash where it's required, because of HUMANS. The leashes are for the safety and comfort of people. |
Anonymous
You keep saying this like you think it's smart, logical, and/or legal, and it's none of the above. Dogs should be assumed to be aggressive, all of them, because they're animals. The owner of a reactive dog on a leash is being responsible. If you don't allow them space, you're the problem. If you can't recall your dog verbally, you need to use a leash. That lots of people do it wrong doesn't magically make it right somehow. There are a lot of really stupid dog owners these days, as evidenced by this thread and the excuses y'all make. Stupidity in numbers doesn't magically re-write the law, though. You are responsible for keeping your dog out of other people's space at all times, even if there are "off-leash" hours. |
Anonymous
NO, the psycho part is thinking that other people want your dog in their space. They don't. They shouldn't have to explain that to you, and nobody should automatically trust a strange dog (that would be quite foolish). The psycho part is your rabid insistence that other people should just accept your dog in their space. I don't accept your dog, your dumb, or your dick in my space. Keep your dog, your opinions, and all of your parts to yourself, thanks. Existing in public space isn't consent to be up in my personal space. |
Anonymous
A reactive dog should be muzzled if they are that dangerous. |
Anonymous
Hooray for you. If someone I don't know touches me, they might catch hands. I don't owe you safety while you're assaulting me. The "social code for dogs" is superceded by responsible owners taking responsibility for their dogs. We train our dogs to stay out of other people's space, because the social code for humans is the priority. People are entitled to personal space, and that includes personal space away from your dog. If you can't guarantee that your dog will respect that limit on verbal commands alone, keep your dog leashed. |
Anonymous
Get some mental health treatment. |
Anonymous
Nope. The problem was, is and will continue to be the person who lets their illegally unleashed dogs run up to strangers who are following the law. |
Anonymous
Basic accountability for the actions of a "known aggressive dog" are keeping it leashed, away from other people and their dogs. If you destroy someone's ability to do that by letting your unleashed dog run up on a leashed dog, and the reactive dog bites your dog, YOU are responsible. But for your negligent failure to control your animal, there wouldn't have been a problem. That's how the law is written, for a reason. I'm sorry it's so hard for you to understand, but that's the reality of it. Arguing the way you are that it should somehow be different because you don't/can't understand and follow it as-written just makes you look stupid, at best, and selfish and entitled. |
Anonymous
NO, it is not. It is not common or expected. There are laws against it, for a reason. That so many people are willing to break the laws for their own convenience (let's face it: y'all off-leashers are running your dogs in the local park because you're too lazy to drive to a dog park where that's acceptable) doesn't magically re-write the law. It just means increased liability for those of us who would like to use the public space without being accosted by your dog and your entitled attitude. If the dogs were leashed, there wouldn't be a problem. That's why the law exists, and why you should follow it: for the safety of your own dog (and to avoid liability). If there are off-leash hours, you still need to keep your dog away from other people. It is always the responsibility of a dog's owner to make sure their dog is under control at all times. No, the public should NOT expect to be pounced by your "friendly" dog. That is not responsible dog ownership. That so many of you want to lower the bar doesn't make it right or legal or an acceptable way to own a dog. It makes you a bad owner, and ruins the experience for the rest of us who are trying to enjoy shared public space. The problem is, unmistakably, YOU and your stupidity, regardless of how much you seem to want to make it about how others won't accept your idiocy as the new way things are. |
Anonymous
Assault them back. You don't assault them back, and that's your call to make, but unwanted contact is assault. If you want to react to it like it's acceptable to you, well, do you, I guess. I don't want to be assaulted by you, or your dog, or anyone. I want to enjoy my right to public space unassaulted, thanks. |
Anonymous
Existence of the law doesn't make something uncommon or unexpected. Some laws are unenforceable or rarely enforced. That said - I'd expect to see unleashed dogs on remote trails. Now, I have a choice to either go there and deal with consequences of that decision - being approached by unleashed dog or go somewhere else. |