Bloody dogs offlead!!!

gettingready

I am lucky enough to live opposite massive and I mean MASSIVE open green spaces where all dogs run off leads.

Same in the woods at the back of where I live.

Zara is on the lead while walking by the road/on pavement - rest of the time she is of the lead.

Re furries - we have a lot of foxes here so she is also on a lead when it is dark as otherwise would chase them.. sigh...she suffers from selective deafness when faced with a fox

Person_one

adouglasmhor wrote: »

My dogs are only allowed off lead in an enclosed space, but as they are ex racers this is needed (no recal and running after small furries at 40 mph otherwise).

That's the thing though, its about using your judgement, not about blanket statements that its always wrong to have a dog off lead.

adouglasmhor

Person_one wrote: »

The first story took place in a park, the second by a road.

Dogs should be under control even when off lead and if your dog off lead goes for my dog on lead - you are paying both vet bills.

Person_one

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Dogs should be under control even when off lead and if your dog off lead goes for my dog on lead - you are paying both vet bills.

See previous post.

sleepymans

catkins wrote: »

I'm fuming. Just back from an awful walk. My dog is on lead in the park when a little westie runs over. I hold my dog so he doesn't jump at the little one and it promptly starts growling and snarling. I try and walk away and the westie comes with me and starts trying to bite my dog. As fast as I try and pull him away the dog follows snapping and biting. Luckily my dog is longhaired so the westie did not manage to get contact with skin but not for want of trying.


I look for the owner and a girl probably early 20's is ambling towards me. I call politely "can you come and get your dog as it doesn't seem to like mine" to which she shouts "It's not my dog, I'm just walking it"!!!! I don't care whose dog it is, it's attacking mine and I'm not happy. She eventually gets to me and that takes forever to put its lead on. I bet she would have moved herself quicker if my dog had retaliated. Some people think if it is a small dog it is ok.


Then walking back home along the pavement with my dog on lead a large dog comes running towards us and I can't even see an owner. I wonder if it has escaped from a house and then I hear the owner calling it. It starts jumping around my dog and my dog does a small growl because he didn't like it. I turn to walk back the way I came and the dog comes with us. The owner is still pathetically calling and I can see them but quite a distance (couldn't even see if it were a man or woman). I am struggling to walk the other way and drag my dog and this dog just stays with us. Eventually I speed up and manage to get round a corner and the dog doesn't follow. I shouted at the top of my voice "your bloody dog should be on a lead" - no reply.


I have yet again rung my local council and dog warden to be told YET AGAIN that it is not an offence to walk a dog off lead in my area even on a busy street!


It's not right that dog walks should be so stressful and if ever see the second dog owner again (never seen them before) I will give them a mouthful.

ALL dogs, even yours should be on a lead outdoors at all times. If not by legislation then in politeness.

Damn fed up with having to pay cleaning bills when dogs jump up at me with muddy paws during their "walkies"

adouglasmhor

The second part of the DDA 1991, Section 3, affects all dogs regardless of breed or type. It makes it a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place. This includes any instance during which an injury of any sort occurs or there is a fear that an injury might occur. In addition, under Section 3(3) of the Act, the owner (or person in charge at the time) of a dog can be prosecuted if an incident occurs in a non- public place where the dog was not permitted to be.

Any sort includes an incident with another dog.

gettingready

Oh and when I say massive......

This is just a small part of the space we have

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAZZZhsh4i8

(that poor GS living in a flat with no garden LOL)

Person_one

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Any sort includes an incident with another dog.

Sorry, I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Nobody here thinks its ok to let out of control or aggressive dogs run loose causing havoc!

lostinrates

adouglasmhor wrote: »

My dogs are only allowed off lead in an enclosed space, but as they are ex racers this is needed (no recal and running after small furries at 40 mph otherwise).

Mine are also sight hounds, but not ex racers. Mine have decent recall, but also travel at the same speeds.

The upshot is they can be a great distance away from me.

I consider it important that they are well socialised so that I can let them off lead.

Interestingly just this morning one of mine suffered a broken catch on a lead this morning in a town centre (not a normal environment for mine) and did skip forward a bit. Everyone around her panicked her bit, which excited her a bit. And frustratingly she was standing for me to loop it like a slip lead when some idiot lunged towards her from the front to try and hold her so she jumped back and slipped the loop.

In this instance I decided she was safer NOT being pursued and jumping about feeling edgy, and turned and told her, common, back to the car (we were in the car park) and she trotted behind me.

Ideal, no, certainly not, under control? Hmm, no. But best of a bad job.

In this instance in OP it sounds like the problem was that at least both the first dogs, oh's and the westy, aren't well socialised with good 'dog manners' and body language. The westy, if off lead should be clearly understanding, 'go away, I don't play' if hats what her dog is saying.

However, as an offlead walker, I see a lot of dogs on leads whose owners are saying they don't play but whose dogs seem to be to be saying 'yeah, but I'd bloody well like to'. I've also seen so many complaints about 'aggressive' behaviour that is normal dog play.


I keep thinking I might start a meet up group for dog walkers whose dogs want to play off lead so mine are guaranteed someone to play with when we go for walks. Mine will run up to about twenty feet out of dogs on leads, see they are on leads and not approach further, but might watch wistfully, especially if he dog in the lead is saying 'I want to play' . If the dog is saying 'go away' they do.

catkins

Person_one wrote: »

Its not an offence to walk a dog off lead. I walk mine off lead nearly every day.

The problem is with inconsiderate owners, most of us know not to let them approach dogs on lead.

I'm sorry you've had a rough day though.

In lots of areas it is an offence to walk a dog offlead along a pavement. I don't have a problem with that as long as the dog is under control. Unfortunately where I live there are an awful lot of owners who walk their dogs offlead and have NO control whateover. I have seen some dart into the road almost causing an accident.


In parks I expect to see dogs offlead but, again, owners should let them off if they know they will come back when called. The only reason I don't let mine off (and he is desperate for a good run) is because his recall is useless and I don't want him upsetting other dogs and owners. I let him off in safe fenced in areas only.



It would have been nice too if the walker had hurried a bit more to collect the dog she was walking!

Mrs_pbradley936 wrote: »

Well you are a dog lover so can you imagine how bad it is when this happens to people that dislike dogs? Those dogs that chase joggers or steal a ball from kids. If the owner does ever appear all they say is something like "he won't hurt you" or "he is only playing"

Those people get dog owners a bad name.

I totally agree. When I got in I was shaking with anger and I said to OH "the schools will be coming out soon and children would not want a large dog running up to them". I know quite a few children round here are scared of dogs.


I've never seen the dog before I know most of the dogs round here so hopefully won't see it again