Leash your dogs PLEASE!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hahahahaha. I knew it was someone with a little kid. Fearful parents create fearful children. Glad you're not my parent.

My then-3 yr old had his face split open by a dog bite last year. One of those supposedly friendly, won't-hurt-anyone, he-just-likes-to-play kinds of dogs. He wandered up to my kid and started sniffing at his face, then was startled by a loud noise behind him, and snapped. The whole incident took about 30 seconds. We ended up in the ER, and it took 10 stitches to sew his lip and cheek back together. The owner swore that the dog had NEVER even come CLOSE to biting ANYONE, EVER. Until my son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He loves dogs, always has. But after that experience, it does freak him out a bit when a large dog (whose teeth are level with his face) comes running up unannounced. We're working hard on getting him over this, but every time it happens, it sets him back at least a month.

So next time you scoff at "fearful parents", please consider that you may not know the whole story. We've taken our kids on adventures that would blow your mind, and are as far from a "fearful" family as you could imagine. But I really, really don't appreciate your dogs running up and scaring the shit out of a little kid who spent all night in the hospital getting his face sewn together. Keep it on a leash.

I am so terribly sorry this happened to your child. My child was bitten by a dog when he was a toddler, and he was terrified of dogs for several years. We now have a sweet dog, and I would never, ever imagine letting her off leash around children or people anywhere else than in a dog park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like it's as simple as this: if you are in a situation where you hear yourself saying about your dog, "he's friendly!" then you most likely have a problem. It means you know your dog is scaring other people or getting in their space, and you're trying to say it's ok by explaining that "he's friendly!" But it's not ok, even if he's the friendliest dog on the planet. If you find yourself starting to say "he's friendly!" then stop, and think about what you can do to make it so that you don't have to.

+100. Well said.

+1000

Yep, this is perfect.

-- dog owner

[Anonymous]

I'm a long time dog owner and agree with OP 100%. Not only should they be on a leash, they need to be under control on the leash.

[Anonymous]

I keep the Park Police non-emergency number in my phone, and I've used it when dog owners refuse to leash their dog when I've politely asked them to. Dogs may not be unleashed in any park in MoCo (unless it's a dog park I suppose). Most owners comply when I ask them to, but a few ignore me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a dog is going to or has the potential to harm someone....biting, growling, jumping, knocking over, then you need to leash. Not every dog needs to be on a leash.

Wrong. 21:53 here. Read my story - the dog that bit my child was exactly the kind of dog you'd think does not need to be leashed. A sweet, gentle, friendly dog. The owners swore up and down that he'd never been aggressive. But when he was startled by something behind him, he snapped, and my kid happened to be right in front of him (face to face level, because he's a kid). Too may dog owners will be convinced that their dog will never bite.... until it does.

And even if you can somehow use your crystal ball to be 100% sure that YOUR dog will never bite, the person it's approaching doesn't know that. Please consider that not everyone is OK with being approached by a strange dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a dog is going to or has the potential to harm someone....biting, growling, jumping, knocking over, then you need to leash. Not every dog needs to be on a leash.

Wrong. 21:53 here. Read my story - the dog that bit my child was exactly the kind of dog you'd think does not need to be leashed. A sweet, gentle, friendly dog. The owners swore up and down that he'd never been aggressive. But when he was startled by something behind him, he snapped, and my kid happened to be right in front of him (face to face level, because he's a kid). Too may dog owners will be convinced that their dog will never bite.... until it does.

And even if you can somehow use your crystal ball to be 100% sure that YOUR dog will never bite, the person it's approaching doesn't know that. Please consider that not everyone is OK with being approached by a strange dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hahahahaha. I knew it was someone with a little kid. Fearful parents create fearful children. Glad you're not my parent.

My then-3 yr old had his face split open by a dog bite last year. One of those supposedly friendly, won't-hurt-anyone, he-just-likes-to-play kinds of dogs. He wandered up to my kid and started sniffing at his face, then was startled by a loud noise behind him, and snapped. The whole incident took about 30 seconds. We ended up in the ER, and it took 10 stitches to sew his lip and cheek back together. The owner swore that the dog had NEVER even come CLOSE to biting ANYONE, EVER. Until my son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He loves dogs, always has. But after that experience, it does freak him out a bit when a large dog (whose teeth are level with his face) comes running up unannounced. We're working hard on getting him over this, but every time it happens, it sets him back at least a month.

So next time you scoff at "fearful parents", please consider that you may not know the whole story. We've taken our kids on adventures that would blow your mind, and are as far from a "fearful" family as you could imagine. But I really, really don't appreciate your dogs running up and scaring the shit out of a little kid who spent all night in the hospital getting his face sewn together. Keep it on a leash.

I am so terribly sorry this happened to your child. My child was bitten by a dog when he was a toddler, and he was terrified of dogs for several years. We now have a sweet dog, and I would never, ever imagine letting her off leash around children or people anywhere else than in a dog park.

Thank you. He actually is doing quite a bit better now. He still has a pretty good scar, and is a little skittish around strange dogs, but is recovering. Thankfully he's young enough that his memories of the whole event are a little hazy. I hope your child has recovered from his experience as well.

[Anonymous]

I have two older cats. Their idea of being outside is to sit on our front porch and sleep. My neighbor has a yellow lab that he walks past our house everyday. He has started walking the dog without a leash because the dog is so "good". The "good" dog ran up on my front porch (not close to the sidewalk at all BTW) and the cats went for him like tasmanian devils. He comes running up, on my lawn, onto my porch and starts screaming at me to "control my cats"! They scratched up his dog before I could open the door to let them in. He is threatening to sue me for the vet bill now. I told him to F*ck Off. Entitled - I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two older cats. Their idea of being outside is to sit on our front porch and sleep. My neighbor has a yellow lab that he walks past our house everyday. He has started walking the dog without a leash because the dog is so "good". The "good" dog ran up on my front porch (not close to the sidewalk at all BTW) and the cats went for him like tasmanian devils. He comes running up, on my lawn, onto my porch and starts screaming at me to "control my cats"! They scratched up his dog before I could open the door to let them in. He is threatening to sue me for the vet bill now. I told him to F*ck Off. Entitled - I guess.

Ugh, you've got to be kidding me! Tell him to go ahead and bring his failure to leash the dog, on top of trespassing on your property, to the attention of local authorities. He'll be in more trouble for breaking the law, on top of being a neglectful owner, than you'll ever be. Good for your cats for protecting their home. And people say cats are useless...

[Anonymous]

My dog is always leashed when we are outside. It doesn't matter that she is a very docile dog who will ignore other people or dogs unless they express an interest in her, when she will cheerfully let them check her out. It doesn't matter that she will sit and patiently let little kids pet her, even if they are overeager and yank her ears or pet her in a less than gentle manner. It doesn't matter that she's never growled at any person or animal.

What matters is that she is an animal and animals *can* act unpredictably when startled or in any circumstances. For that reason, she must always be leashed. It keeps her safe and it keeps others safe and that is my responsibility as a dog owner.

I have no patience with selfish pet owners who neglect their basic responsibility to keep their dogs and the people around them safe.

[Anonymous]

I always let me dog off leash when we go hiking in the woods on trails. If you don't like it you can kiss my ass! Leash your brat children; they are more likely to be a nuissance. In the city or on sidewalks I always have him on a leash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always let me dog off leash when we go hiking in the woods on trails. If you don't like it you can kiss my ass! Leash your brat children; they are more likely to be a nuissance. In the city or on sidewalks I always have him on a leash.

My leashed dogs have been attacked and strays or dogs walking off leash have attacked my unleashed animals on and off my properties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always let me dog off leash when we go hiking in the woods on trails. If you don't like it you can kiss my ass! Leash your brat children; they are more likely to be a nuissance. In the city or on sidewalks I always have him on a leash.

My leashed dogs have been attacked and strays or dogs walking off leash have attacked my unleashed animals on and off my properties.

so what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you mind your own business and quit the hating?

[Anonymous]

I completely agree with you and I wish my neighbor would read this!!! Her dog runs the neighborhood as if it's her own. She is loud and enjoys chasing anything that moves (I think it's the breed). This is a real problem because I have young children who are afraid of her. Although we live near a busy highway, she allows her dog to roam the neighborhood parking lot (townhomes) and her dog is at risk of being accidentally hit since she runs all over the place. The dog is also very loud and does not get along with the other dogs in the neighborhood. All other neighbors use leashes! The owner has watched and encouraged her dog to chase/bother neighbors and has stood by and watched as her dog has barked and snarled at delivery people. (I've had to go out and chase her off twice when she cornered people delivering to our home.) I have talked to the owner about it on a number of occasions and she usually walks her dog on a leash for a day or two afterward but it doesn't last. SO FRUSTRATING and inconsiderate - not to mention dangerous.