In the past few weeks I’ve had way too many off-leash encounters while out walking my dog on our normal neighborhood routes. These dogs are running up to us, jumping on us, barking, while their owner is unsuccessfully standing there calling their name with no response. I hate the confrontation and try to be polite for as long as possible.
My dog can be reactive on leash and I never allow her to do leash greetings for this reason. I feel completely out of control when un-leashed dogs run up to us. Luckily she’s medium sized and I can pick her up, but that usually just leads to the other dog jumping on me to get to her.
Part of being a dog-owner is being responsible and following rules. It doesn’t matter if your dog is friendly, it’s the rules and you’re being a shitty neighbor if you don’t.
Do you really believe that the rules don’t apply to you? Do you think your dog is somehow entitled to run around off-leash wherever you want? Or do you not care for the safety of your dog and other dogs? Seriously, explain this. And yes, I’m pretty salty right now because I had to drive around for 20 minutes to find another field for my dog to chase balls in because a couple of jerks had their GSD off-leash running around. The county where we live has leash laws and they parked literally next to a sign that said “all dogs must be leashed.” I have a 50-foot lead snd would have gladly put enough distance between the two dogs if they had a long lead but nope, they refused to leash their dog. So tell me, why do the rules not apply to you people?
Because so many don't do it, and it's really annoying. I work tirelessly with my dogs, who have anxiety/ reactivity, to make sure they are comfortable. I choose specific routes, keep distance from people, etc. I don't set them up to fail, and I work with them.
None of that matters when some dude wants to swing his dick around, and showboat how great his dog is off leash, but then it clearly isn't, and said dog goes kamikaze towards mine. This happens way too often.
Please. Savannah: leash your damn dogs downtown. Want to play fetch in Forsyth/ a square? Of course. But leash them after!
I went hiking in a local state park with my Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) (6F) and my friend’s foster dog, also an APBT (1M). We were walking down a trail when I spotted a dad, his son, and their Labrador in a ravine doing what looked like collecting firewood, but I’m not sure. It looked like the Lab was on a leash but it was hard to tell given my position and the distance.
As soon as we got ready to pass them, the Lab came charging out of the ravine at us and straight for the male dog. The man grabbed it in time so no contact was made, but all of its hackles were up and it was snarling and doing everything possible to get free and get to us. My male got defensive - not that I blame him, I wouldn’t like someone twice as big as me coming at me when I’m minding my own business either - and I could see his posture shifting towards wanting to fight. My female is very non-confrontational and was scared out of her wits. I told both of mine to firmly “LEAVE IT” and kept walking. They both listened and recovered quickly.
The guy apologized but it made me angry anyway. The state park in question has its leash policy posted on the trailhead and their website. Also, why would you let your obviously DA dog roam free and risk it getting into a fight in a public space? I don’t understand why anyone would take that risk.
I have at least two neighbors constantly walking their large dogs without a leash. One of them runs amok when they go for walks, running down the whole block and messing around in yards, including mine. I was debating reporting the owners somehow but a) I have no idea where these people live or their names, and b) is that the kind of thing you report? Or is it just small potatoes and no one will actually do anything about it?
My Nextdoor is constantly filled with people complaining about unleashed dogs in this neighborhood and I’m curious if this is simply a shitty type of neighbor we have to put up with or can anything actually be done? I don’t own a dog myself, but it’s just a matter of time before an accident happens and someone else’s dog gets hurt by them.
Sincerely,
WhyIsYourDogOnMyPatio
My neighbor's intact male puppy got out twice within the last month, they never fixed their broken gate, just blocked it with a bicycle. The dogs climb all over the bike to fence fight every time we walk past and i worry about them bypassing it or going under the fence the way they have before. They were sent a warning letter about not leashing over the summer and they are still fucking doing it. I just saw them walk past with both of their dogs unleashed.
I don't get it, people like this know they will be fined, they still refuse to use a leash, and then they flip the fuck out when they actually get one. We are selling our house in the next year and part of me said "don't cause any problems, you're so close to getting out of here and things seem peaceful now" but i reported them anyway. Let them get mad.
I see so many people walking their dogs off-leash on sidewalks all over town. This is really irresponsible and dangerous. We need to protect our dogs from themselves, because as we all know they are excitable rascals at times and will run into the street after squirrels, cats, other dogs, etc.
For reference, here’s the city ordinance: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/623/Where-Can-My-Dog-be-Off-Leash
I understand people enjoy running their dogs offleash. But this is unfair to those trying to enjoy a walk, or walk their leashed dogs. Not all dogs respond well to other dogs running up to them, in addition to owners running towards their dogs in pursuit. Some dogs do not respond well to humans running towards them either. While yelling at their unleashed dog to listen.
Reactive dogs, dogs with special needs (blind, deaf) etc, safely leashed deserve an area to be walked , following leash laws, safely. It is inconsiderate and rude to let your dog run offleash without considering any of the above. This is a public place maintained by the uva foundation, not your own private farmland or dog park.
The trails are for peaceful walks for everyone. Please follow the county leash laws and be mindful of others trying to enjoy the space. Not to mention the residents who live there. Off leash dogs running through their yards, or in the road when theyre trying to get somewhere. People live here and their yards shouldnt be trespassed by your off leash dog. You would not do this in your own neighborhood. Nor would you want random dogs running through your yard unleashed.
Follow the law and be respectful so everyone can enjoy the space. Thanks
So many times have I've heard "Its okay, he's friendly" only to hear " Oh, he's never done that before" in the next sentence. Show some respect and common curtesy, control your pet. Use a leash where it is required. Your dog might be friendly but the dog he is running up to greet might not be. I get really tired of this shit!
Fist off .
I got nothing against dogs , I love those little goofballs and they’re cute fluffy faces .
That being said dogs are still dogs , they are still territorial predatory animals who will bite and attack creatures they they don’t recognize on they’re turf. Because of that we have created leash laws so someone’s dog won’t be able to attack a random stranger and cause the chaos that comes from that .
So far this month alone there have been three times where I’ve come way to close to being attacked by a dog because people don’t want to put a leash on them .
First time was on the 5th when I was taking a jog through my neighborhood park , I had my music playing in my earphones and noticed a shadow coming up behind me fast . Turned out to be a old hippy lady’s very large young pincer on my ass coming to attack me , luckily there was a tree up ahead that I quickly climbed to get away from it .
Second time was the 18th walking back to work from the 7-11 on lunch turn the corner and theres an angry brown pit bull in my face growling as I start to back up a black one appears . Now there’s two pit bulls ready to pounce . I lost my lunch swinging my shopping bag at them and had to jump on a car to escape , two seconds later the owner shows up and takes them . Turns out he was doing yard work on his fencless front yard and just had them out there hanging out with him with no leash at all .
Third time was today , I was walking to the store pass this house the guy gets out opens the passenger door and a German Shepard leaps out runs up and bites me . Luckily I was wearing baggy pants and all it got was the fabric , I rip the fabric and jump on top of a car ( this was the 4th time this yearwith that guys dog alone). What really pisses me off is that ever time all three owners just said sorry man and went back to they’re life like nothing happened no leash was put on any of those dogs after they almost tore me to shreds either . What if they actually got me and ripped my throat out ? Or god forbid what If I had been with my kids who like playing red light green light when we walk somewhere ? I’m am beyond sick of grown adults being irresponsible with they’re dogs because they think it’s nice to them so it will be nice to everyone else.
It’s become so frequent this year (well over ten times now) that I’ve decided to go buy a hip blade to protect myself when I go outside tomorrow when the shops open .
I don’t ever ever wanna have a day where I
... keep reading on reddit ➡This has primarily been a problem for me in Clovis, but I’ve seen it just about everywhere throughout Fresno.
There are quite a few people I’ve encountered who believe the leash law do not apply to them because their dogs are friendly and have good recall. My park of choice is Rotary Park because of its proximity to my house and it is genuinely been the worst park to go to in terms of off-leash dogs.
For some context, we have had our dog (a rescue) for a couple months and we have come to realize that he is fearful of other dogs. He was used a bait dog. When we come close to medium and large dogs, he trembles and starts to growl. Because of this, we can’t take him to dog parks or on our trips to Yosemite. We rely on the leashed parks to be his outlet. The muzzle he would wear (for his safety because he eats poop and the safety of other dogs) got wrecked and I don’t have the money to replace it. We try to go to the parks as early or as late as we can to avoid as many dogs as possible.
The first time we had a bad encounter was at Rotary Park with two out of control off-leash labradors. He was attacked by both of them and both the owner and I had to pull them off of my dog. It was a horrifying experience, and thankfully there were no serious injuries. The owner had responded with “I’m sorry, they’re usually so nice!”
Second time was a man and his husky. We were leaving because I had spotted the dog beforehand, the man is calling his dog over and tries to reassure me by saying “My dog is friendly!” We ran out of there.
I had originally posted my frustrations on Nextdoor and I was a bit taken aback by the amount of people who disagreed. Many of “My dog has good recall, they don’t need to be leashes up” or “My dog wouldn’t hurt anyone.” comments. It doesn’t matter if your dog is friendly or if you think your dog has wonderful recall, they need to be leashed up at parks and areas that state your dog needs to be on a leash, it’s part of the leash law. If you want your dog to be off-leash so bad, then take them to to an off-leash dog park. Leashing you’re dog isn’t just for other’s safety, it’s also for your dog’s safety. There are plenty of reactive or dog-aggressive dogs out there (doesn’t make them bad dogs) that can result a bad situation. Plenty of the parks I go to are right next to busy roads as well.
TL;DR - It doesn’t matter how friendly or obedient your dog is, they need to be on a leash when they aren’t in an off-leash area. It’s for you, your d
... keep reading on reddit ➡Lawrence County woman hospitalized after brutal Pit bull attack https://share.newsbreak.com/2m80g43y
Just watched a dog run into 4th Ave and get nailed by a car. Dog isn't walking and appears to have serious injuries. The woman who hit the car stopped to help the dog, and she looked pretty traumitized. Then the owners came running up from the park down the street a minute or so later - the guy was holding the leash and a ball thrower in his hand...
This is not an off-leash area, and it's illegal to have your dog off leash. These laws are not there to cramp your style, but to prevent shit like this happening. The laws are meant to protect your dog, other dogs, as well as people. We have these laws for a reason.
The blame for this falls squarely onto the negligent owners. People who do things like this should be banned from ever owning let's again. Clearly they're not responsible enough to handle it.
I am so tired of seeing dogs in my neighborhood off a leash!! Multiple times now my one neighbor has their ~5 month puppy off the leash!!!! Either she is watching it, or her kids under 10 are. I have heard someone walking their dog, tell her to leash him. I refuse to walk my pup when it's out, as my girl is larger and we are still working in no approaching/ gentle greeting. I have also seen him strolling around (did grab a picture) without them in sight.
Today as I am driving home. He and another dog of the same breed shoots out from behind their car. Thank God I have quick reflexes and slammed on brakes!!!! There was no way for me to even see he was out, or will run out!!! THE WOMAN HAD THE AUDACITY TO GLARE AT ME!! I immediately emailed my HOA in regards and hopefully brain storm another way to address this. I'm sick of this!!! I would never forgive myself if I had accidentally hit him out of the carelessness if the owner. 😞😞
No matter how behaved you think they are. Leash them.
I live in a small town with only one running track. The next nearest is 20 miles away. The track is adjacent to four full-sized baseball fields, two of them fenced but with open gates. The track is also fenced with an open gate.
So I'm running my laps, and here comes a guy with two dogs, unleashed, through the gate. One of the dogs sees me running and runs straight at me at full speed, shearing off at the last second. The guy calls the dog who is already running back to him. As I get closer to the guy, I say, "Sir, you need to keep your dogs on a leash." He says, "Don't worry, they are very friendly, and they are completely under my control." Just as he says that, the same dog sprints at me again, and again shears off at the last second, getting within two feet of me. I say again, "Sir, you need a leash for your dogs." He says, "He's a border collie, he can't be on a leash." I've had it, I yell at him, "Then take him to the fucking baseball field!"
Actually, that was bad advice, because it's against the law to let your dogs run loose anywhere in the city limits, and we have a very nice dog park about a mile from the track, complete with all those obstacle things that they train dogs to run and jump over. So I should have told him to go to the dog park, but you know how you always think of a better thing to say later. In fact, I think I should have said, "Then buy a fucking farm!"
But the point is, there were places where he could have let his dog run without bothering anybody literally on the other side of the fence, because it was like 7AM and the baseball fields were empty (there was one other guy on the track besides me and the dog owner), but he evidently believed that owning a border collie gave him carte blanche to let his dog run anywhere he wanted. Along with his other dog, which was not a border collie.
I'm a fairly big guy, and he was a fairly average guy, so he just gave me a face and left, with a sarcastic "Hope you have a nice day" or something like that.
AITA?
There is a dog in my apartment complex that the owner refuses to put on a leash. It keeps trying to attack my dog. How do I contact animal control about this?
Does an electric collar qualify as a leash according to Chicago leash laws? Municipal Code ch. 7-12 covers this, but does not mention let alone specify an electric collar as a leash. However, the dictionary definition of a leash as "a strap or cord for restraining and guiding a dog or other animal." seems to rule out an electric collar as a means of physical restraint.
"Leashed" is described as "secured by a leash, lead or other means of physical restraint which is not harmful or injurious to the dog and which is held by a responsible person capable of physically restraining the dog.”
This have been multiple incidents at a local park where one particular person feels entitled/priviliged/special enough to think that their dogs don't need to be physically restrained because they are wearing e-collars. A bunch of us called bullshit and cited the reasons posted above, as well as trying to explain how and why leashed dogs react differently to unleashed dogs and how potentially dangerous that is, but the owner wasn't hearing any of it. Just waved us off with repeated "I don't have to explain myself to you."s and, "They have electric leashes on. They're fine."
We don't think they are fine, and we don't think an e-collar or electric leash qualify under municipal code based on the dictionary definition of a leash and what it means to be leashed.
Are there any ways to get to the bottom of this debate? This particular person is causing a lot of headaches with their unwillingness to be open, let alone cooperative. We're just looking for a definitive answer as to wether or not those e-collars/electric leashes are an acceptable substitute for a physical leash according to the city leash laws and municipal codes.
Thanks in advance, redditors. Be good and be safe. Much love.
My recently adopted rescue dog is nervous around other dogs and we're working very hard on training using positive reinforcement, counter-conditioning, and systematic desensitization to help with his fear. We're at a point now where we can walk by most leashed dogs on wide trails/paths without any barking or whining from him, but it really puts us in a rough spot when people allow their unleashed dogs to run up to us and it takes him a while to de-stress after those situations.
We've tried going hiking at less busy times and it seems that people just think since there's less people there it's a great time to let their uncontrollable dogs off-leash. If we go at busier hiking times there's often too many dogs and he gets overwhelmed (and some people seem to still let their dogs off leash even when it's busy).
We've also tried going to various parks (on-leash areas, not dog parks) and sometimes even just walking by them we've had off-leash dogs run up to the sidewalk barking and growling at us with rarely even a "sorry" from their owner. Even just walking around our HOA we got ran up to by a dog while the owner shouted "he's friendly", right in front of an "all dogs must be leashed" sign.
Are there any parks or trails (anywhere in the county is fine, we're near Poway) where there's either some kind of park ranger enforcing leash rules, or places where people just seem to be all following the rules?
We're not really looking for totally empty places because some exposure to dogs is actually useful for training, although if anyone has suggestions for totally empty places that's also useful to help him de-stress. I'm also thinking of having him wear a muzzle while hiking even though he's not really a bite-risk, just so people think twice about letting their dog run up to us
I bring my dog to a local lake to swim every day to give him some exercise and fun. I've been doing it for 10+ years. The lake is used by fishermen, has a few piers and boats tied up along all the edges.
My dog's a black labrador, well-trained, returns the moment he's called and has shown 0 signs of aggression.
I let him out of the boot of my car, walk beside him to the lake, throw a tennis ball a few times, walk back to my car and he jumps in the boot, go home.
Today I was walking back to my car (it's about 6 metres from the lake to my car when we're outside of it, all across a random piece of grass. Parking places are graveled, no lines or anything.
A man and a woman were walking down to the lake from the road with two small dogs on leads, and my labrador looked at them, didn't make any moves towards them or acknowledge their presence. The only thing he cares about is tennis balls, dogs and people may as well not exist.
The man is about 2 metres from me and proceeds to shout "your dog should be on a leash, that's the law". I was thinking he was having a big of craic so i laughed and said "lovely evening" to which he replied "no, it's the law. Your dog should be on a leash. Leash him immediately".
There's no signs of any kind anywhere around the lake that states I need a leash or anything to do with dogs in general. No farm animals nearby, nothing. There's a few houses further along the road and that's it, it's purely used as a fishing spot.
Just wondering is there any laws I'm not aware of or is this fella just looking for an argument with anyone that'll listen?
I don't have any interest in creating problems, I just want to let my dog have a swim
Let me preface this by saying I love all dogs. No matter the breed. That out of the way I know some breeds are more aggressive than others. At least a couple times a week for the last couple months I've ran past a lady walking beside a full size Rottweiler off it's leash. Sometimes he starts to run towards me before she calls him back.
I'm worried one day she won't be paying attention or he won't listen and I'm going to be in trouble. I was considering carrying pepper spray. I would be sickened to spray a dog because of the owners irresponsibility but I'm not losing a limb. I've tried to ask her to put him on a leash but she insists he's harmless. If I were to mace a dog off a leash could I be held criminally or civially liable? I've considered changing my running route but there aren't alot of safe paths around me.
thank you. to those that don't: fuck you.
edit: if you are one of the rare folks whose dogs listen like little monks, then more power to you and this is not directed at you. this is for the other 99% of lawbreakers who think saying sore-y fixes everything.
Anyone have any insight on the leash law in Chesterfield county? I have a nasty neighbor, with his nasty, bottom of the barrel friends/family, who visit frequently during the work day. They allow their dogs to roam the culdesac crap in random peoples yards, like it’s nothing. These trash owners literally just stand there as their dog walks to each yard to drop a s***, but they make sure the dogs don’t crap in their own yard. Homeowners are away at work, these bottom feeders stay home all day. Talking does nothing to these people, they continue to commit to ignorance. What can be done?
OK so I haven't searched the internet for an answer yet, figured I'd just get some feedback from folks in town to see what the deal is.
I own and ride an electric skateboard called a Onewheel. The thing is a blast and I really enjoy taking it on the miles of paved trails around the city. However, I've noticed that some dogs are absolutely excited by the device, in a bad way. Perhaps it stimulates the pray drive in some dogs, which would explain why certain dogs bark at and chase the Onewheel as it rolls by. After all, the Onewheel is the size of a small animal and moves swiftly.
My concern is that one of these days I'm going to take a spill while being chased by an off-leash dog on the paved trail. Just today I was chased by a dog that has done it before. The dog doesn't listen to its owner. If this type of behavior results in injury to me, you'd better believe I'm going after the dog's owner for damages.
The big question I have is, are dog owners required by law to keep their beasts on a leash when roaming the paved city trails? Or do I need to approach the owner of this trouble dog and "highly recommend" that they leash the unruly critter?
Edit - the fact that this post mentions that I use an electric skateboard on the trail is not the focus of this post. Seems there is some argument about whether or not these types of personal electric devices are allowed on trails, but that's for another discussion. The main gripe I'm bringing to the surface here is regarding dog owners who let their ill-behaved animals roam the non-dog designated areas and trails without a leash. It doesn't matter if I'm on an electric skateboard, a bike, roller blades, a unicycle or a plastic tricycle. If an excited dog disobeys it's owner's commands and gives chase, there's a problem with the dog and it's owner.
Entitled PET parents? (Lol)
So I was at a public park earlier today with my service dog, named SJ. (He was not wearing a service vest at the time) We were walking and playing in the water and having a nice time, when we see these ladies with two dogs that are off leash. One dog was a little smaller, maybe 25 pounds, and the other was about the size of SJ, about 55 pounds. Now, there are leash laws in my area and pets at this park must be on leash. Also, this is a very public park with lots of other people and dogs hanging out. So, off leash dogs scare me because of the amount of times SJ has been lunged at/charged at and almost attacked by off leash dogs. It's important to note that this park consists of a pond with a path around it and some woods, plus a playground, and most people walk thier dogs around the path. Me and SJ were on the path and trying to keep our distance from the off leash dogs, which meant that we had to keep slowing down and going off the path to stay away from them because they kept stopping to let everyone pet thier dogs who wanted to. This was honestly very annoying, because I am just trying to have a nice walk with my dog, and here are these entitled people who think they dont have to listen to the leash law. Well they passed by several dogs and nothing bad happened, so finally I figured okay the dogs aren't aggressive so I'm just going to pass them and if one of thier dogs runs at mine of course I'm going to protect my dog and these owners will get an ear full from me. As I'm passing them, this older lady with a medium size fluffy doodle type dog comes walking along the path too and stops near the ladies. This older lady was AWESOME. I'll call her awesome lady (AL) and the ladies with the dogs will be entitled pet parents (EPP). (Not exact dialogue but basically went like this)
AL: Your dogs need to be on leashes
EPP: oh whatever, they need to be on leash but shouldn't you be wearing a mask?
AL: No not since the other day talking about what the governor in my state had just said about open outdoor places I use to work for this park and they have to be on leashes!
EPP: while making a show of leashing the larger dog Look, theres a leash! See? On leash! Look on leash!
Other EPP: See the leash? Shut your mouth, bch!
EPP: as AL is walking away Bch bch bch
Other EPP: What a Karen!
They then start walking again, and by this point I've gotten ahead of them but can still hear them talking behind me. They keep going o
I live in a county where there is a leash law, but animal enforcement couldn't care less. A couple years ago, my wife and our dog were out on a walk and were attacked by a pit bull off a leash in our neighborhood. My wife had to go to the emergency room and my dog suffered gouge wounds and had to be rushed to the vet. We sued the owner. Since then we have both been very apprehensive and bought pepper spray. We still see dogs without leashes all the time, mostly close to their owners when walking.
Given there is a leash law in effect in my county, and given a scenario where an owner is walking their dog without a leash and that dog starts coming at me, my wife, or my dog, do we have the legal right to spray it? I love dogs, but I dislike most of their owners on my neighborhood. I refuse to take the chance of anyone in my family getting hurt again. I just don't want to get in trouble for spraying a dog, when there is a leash law on place. Anyone have experience or advice? Thank you.
Salt Lake City, Utah
I have a neighbor (across the street) who owns a pitbull. I have nothing against the breed in particular, but this neighbor never has the pitbull under his control. Every time he lets it out to go to the bathroom, or get the dog to the car, it gets loose. It has charged at me multiple times. Runs up to me children barking and growling. My child has a panic disorder, so try to imagine what it's like as an 11 year old girl who has a debilitating anxiety disorder to have a dog more than half your size run up and bark at you like it's going to attack you.
I have an outdoor cat that stays in my back yard, but cannot run very quickly to escape or climb trees due to an old injury. A stray cat had several kittens in my shed. People regularly walk their small dogs (leashed or just under their control) right in front of my house. There's just so much that could go wrong from this guy who refuses to leash his damn dog, can't control it, and that's obviously not socialized with other animals (judging by how he charges at fences with other animals who are minding their own business).
This neighbor also takes the dog for walks and lets it off the leash. I cannot tell you how many times he's run up to fetch his dog that's barking and growling at me excessively with leash in hand. The dog is always wearing a collar so it's not likely he just slips away.
These issues happen 4-5 times per week. Sometimes multiple times a day. In this area, dogs are supposed to be leashed at all times. This guy also lets his dog poop all over everyone's yard and never cleans it up.
I have tried speaking to this neighbor civilly. I have asked outright why his dog isn't leashed every time it's charged at me or my kids, and he flat out ignores me. I've heard several neighbors tell him to leash his dog but this still keeps happening.
I have security footage of this happening multiple times.
What can I do to stop this from happening? Who do I report to? Is there any legal repercussions for this or only after the dog attacks someone or their animal?
Reddit, shall we engage in civil discourse regarding this matter?
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2021/01/26/anchorage-considers-changes-to-local-leash-law/
Edit: Good article from the Craig Medred blog:
https://craigmedred.news/2021/02/14/unleashed/
Not everyone is going to automatically know if your dog is friend or foe.
