A plea and reminder to parents of dogs

Tropez

puppy999 wrote: »

I was on the playing fields there is an enclosed area for children this young girl had a staffie cross bull dog it was off the lead I shouted and asked if she wud please put her dog on a lead she told me to F~~ off 2 boys (13/14yr) where playing in the enclosed area they also had asked her to put it on a lead ..... nxt I looked up and this dog is coming stright for my puppy than 14mths ..... I ran in the enclosed area and rang the police, they came within mins (only coz they were in the area)...lol I wz shaking and my asmtha kicked in ,......The police said to her that it is against the law to have a dog off a lead in a public place and they give her a warning..............I am only going of what they said

Local authorities may set a law that forbids a dog being off lead in a public place (Hampshire is one such example) but it is not illegal across the UK.

What is illegal is to not have control of a dog under your care in a public place which that little girl certainly didn't.

claire1234

i hope your dog is ok, i hate to see any dog hurt love them to bits my little staffie cross is my baby,
she is the most playful dog you`ll ever find,

but out of respect for other people weather its a child or adult you should always put your dogs back on a lead when approaching other dogs,
when out in the field a simply call to my dog ensures she comes back and puts her lead on even for a few seconds if i see someone coming with a dog,
you have no idea of that dogs temperment (sp) or the owners.

as a woman you can feel quite thretened when a dog is running wild off its lead & you dont know when they are like, my one hate
is those men who say to women "its alright love he wont bite ya", not really the point is it!
when people put there dogs back on the lead for me to walk past i always make a point of saying thank you
at the end of the day you dont know how they are going to react so pick quiet areas and when people approch put the lead back on.

sarabe

Tropez wrote: »

Local authorities may set a law that forbids a dog being off lead in a public place (Hampshire is one such example) but it is not illegal across the UK.

What is illegal is to not have control of a dog under your care in a public place.

The whole of Hampshire!!!!! :eek: That's news to me.

Seriously I live in Hampshire and it is not illegal to have a dog off lead in a public place. We have several commons, a disused railway line, loads of different woods, many country parks, several recreational parks and the New Forest where dogs can and do walk (and run) off lead.

Gingham_Ribbon

EmptyPockets wrote: »

Because we know that she is nervous aggressive, we always take her out with a muzzle on, to avoid anything happening like the situation described by the OP, but even so, I get so annoyed with other dog owners who are NOT in full control of their pets. You should never let your dogs approach a dog on a lead without first checking that it is ok for them to do so. It is this sort of assuming attitude that often leads to canine tempers flaring and incidents like this occurring.

Isn't this the important part. If you have a dog that can't cope with other dogs coming over to sniff them, shouldn't they be wearing a muzzle? How is an off lead dog that does a perfectly ordinary thing like approach another dog in an unaggressive manner be considered 'out of control'?

Don't dogs need a run around? This wasn't by the side of a busy road, presumably, or near sheep. What's wrong with taking your dog off the lead?

EmptyPockets

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Isn't this the important part. If you have a dog that can't cope with other dogs coming over to sniff them, shouldn't they be wearing a muzzle? How is an off lead dog that does a perfectly ordinary thing like approach another dog in an unaggressive manner be considered 'out of control'?

Don't dogs need a run around? This wasn't by the side of a busy road, presumably, or near sheep. What's wrong with taking your dog off the lead?

There is nothing wrong with having your dog off lead - IF it is trained well enough to still be under your control. If the owner of a muzzled dog requests you to keep your dog away, and you cannot recall your dog, then it is not under your control, in my opinion.

A nervous aggressive dog will be very wary and agitated if it is approached by an off-lead dog - whether the nervous dog is muzzled or not makes no difference, it can put me, the owner, weeks back with any progress made so far. Socialising a nervous rescue who has not had the best start in life takes LOTS of time, and cannot be rushed. If and when I want my dog to come into close contact (more so than the usual passing-by) with others, when I feel she is ready, then I will allow it to happen in a way my dog will find comfortable.

hoogervaaner

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

What's wrong with taking your dog off the lead?

Nothing, provided that:
a) your dog has instant recall.
b) you respect that people with dogs on leads do not want your dog approaching them.
c) you get hold of your dog when passing others.

As for muzzling my lads, they are on leads and under my control, if a dog came to start a fight with them and I could not get rid of it I would want them to be able to defend themselves.

Tropez

sarabe wrote: »

The whole of Hampshire!!!!! :eek: That's news to me.

Seriously I live in Hampshire and it is not illegal to have a dog off lead in a public place. We have several commons, a disused railway line, loads of different woods, many country parks, several recreational parks and the New Forest where dogs can and do walk (and run) off lead.

Well no, not the whole of Hampshire, but there are a number of areas withing Hampshire where it is illegal to allow a dog off a lead and a fine of £500 is administered. The areas where one cannot walk their dog off lead are identified by signs.

zaksmum

I think some posters are being unfair on the OP here. Dogs need some off lead time and if you know your dog is non aggressive I can't see the problem.

OP, I hope your dog will soon recover.

EmptyPockets

zaksmum wrote: »

I think some posters are being unfair on the OP here. Dogs need some off lead time and if you know your dog is non aggressive I can't see the problem.

OP, I hope your dog will soon recover.

Well that's an attitude of 'I'm alright, sod everyone else'. If your own dog is non aggressive, of course you won't see the problem, because you're not the one having to deal with it everyday.

wilykit

i never let my dogs off the lead, not because they are aggressive but because they would not come back when called and my ABD would happily run over to other dogs and want to play - but not all dogs want to and this is where a problem starts.

my EBT doesn't like other dogs coming up to him when he is on a lead when they aren't - though if the dog is on a lead he will happily socialise!

i don't know if this stems back to when he was attacked by another dog he used to live with, but i appreciate that dogs are on a lead for a reason, and just because MY dog is friendly doesn't mean the others are.

its just common sense really

i take m dogs for walks always on the lead and then let them run around our big back garden so they can still have a good run