A friend of mine recently had an altercation with an off-leash dog. He & his wife had the bigger dog (who was the victim of the off-leash dog attack), but had something worse happened than what did, I feel sure his dog would have been blamed. I have a reactive dog when it comes to any other dog. There are a few dogs that Jazz tolerates reasonably (for her) well. There are other dogs that she can’t stand the sight of. It’s not based on breed, gender, size or anything else that I can figure out, she’s just not big on other dogs. We’ve encountered off-leash dogs where I live which means that Jazz must be picked up – she really doesn’t like dogs just running up to her. She’s pretty formal and would like for the dogs to stand some distance away until she notices them and then slowly come to her. It may sound like I’m joking, but I’m not. I can’t count the number of times we’ve been approached by someone saying that their dog is friendly – they get my response of “But, my dog isn’t”.
After thinking about the off-leash problem, I began to ponder what the solution is. Do we ticket owners whose dogs are loose? Aren’t there already leash laws – doesn’t look like that’s working too well. Is it the dog’s fault that their owners just don’t care enough to train them and to walk with them on the leash? Should people have to pass a test to own a dog – prove that they aren’t stupid?
I’m not for more government – less is better….usually. In this case, I don’t know the solution. Just as there are problems with people breeding “designer dogs” [if you own a labradoodle, cocker-poo, etc. – please be advised, it’s a mutt, not a breed of dog], puppy mills, backyard breeders (ones who don’t do any tests on their dogs or show them, but try desperately to find owners for yet another oops! litter), people who don’t care enough about their pet to leash them need to be punished. Instead, you’ll hear the story of a pit bull in his yard that attacked a poor innocent lab – you won’t hear that the pit bull was fenced and chained & the lab was running loose, but just that a violent breed of dog injured America’s favorite breed.
I know that I obsess over my dog. I know that I spoil her. I know that I love her and she loves me. Because of this, it is my responsibility to take care of this dog to the best of my ability. This means – when I see an off-leash dog in an area where they must be leashed, I’m calling animal control. It means that I get to be the “bad guy” who won’t let your dog have the freedom “it deserves”. It means that I care more about your dog than you do.
After thinking about the off-leash problem, I began to ponder what the solution is. Do we ticket owners whose dogs are loose? Aren’t there already leash laws – doesn’t look like that’s working too well. Is it the dog’s fault that their owners just don’t care enough to train them and to walk with them on the leash? Should people have to pass a test to own a dog – prove that they aren’t stupid?
I’m not for more government – less is better….usually. In this case, I don’t know the solution. Just as there are problems with people breeding “designer dogs” [if you own a labradoodle, cocker-poo, etc. – please be advised, it’s a mutt, not a breed of dog], puppy mills, backyard breeders (ones who don’t do any tests on their dogs or show them, but try desperately to find owners for yet another oops! litter), people who don’t care enough about their pet to leash them need to be punished. Instead, you’ll hear the story of a pit bull in his yard that attacked a poor innocent lab – you won’t hear that the pit bull was fenced and chained & the lab was running loose, but just that a violent breed of dog injured America’s favorite breed.
I know that I obsess over my dog. I know that I spoil her. I know that I love her and she loves me. Because of this, it is my responsibility to take care of this dog to the best of my ability. This means – when I see an off-leash dog in an area where they must be leashed, I’m calling animal control. It means that I get to be the “bad guy” who won’t let your dog have the freedom “it deserves”. It means that I care more about your dog than you do.
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