Dogs to be kept on lead.

I love dogs and used to own one but became progressively ill and only when he died was it realised that I was allergic to him (despite childhood negative allergy results for 'dog'!) so, no more dogs for me.

However, could I please raise a point regarding some leads - but I am probably in the minority here.... A few years ago, very thin flexible leads which expand from a cartridge to great lengths arrived. These leads can be dangerous: I have seen dog owners walking on the left hand side of a path whilst talking on their mobiles. They forget that they have let their dog's lead out to its maximum and the dog has wandered off to the right - the lead is now stretched across the path.

I have seen a couple, busy speaking to each other and a cyclist, almost tripped by these leads from non-attentive owners.

Apart from the obvious dangers of these leads used like this, all dogs should be on a lead unless in an area where it is expressly stated that dogs are permitted to roam free.

I feel so sorry for the dogs mentioned on this thread who are never let off the lead. No amount of on lead exercise, even with a keen walker, can compensate for the freedom to romp, roam, sniff and play with other dogs.

You can train dogs to come back, you can train them to behave and then you can let them off the lead where it is legal and safe to do so.

The Graeme Hall TV show "Dogs behaving very badly" is a great help to anyone training a dog.

If you have a camera on your phone you could take photos of dogs off leads in a park so that you would have some clear evidence to show. So if you could offer two or three different times or days of this behaviour then you could show this to council or police as evidence of this behaviour that they could not deny they were breaking the law. I agree with you that it is not the dogs but the owners who do not train their animals properly and think that their wishes come above other peoples safety.

It's becoming a lawlessness society.... What are we to do?

H1954
I wish it was true that keeping a dog on a lead minimised problems. My bassets were always on a lead but twice were attacked by dogs off leads. As a young pup one of my dogs had his ears bitten through and bloodied by an off-lead retriever. A later basset was deaf and sniffing happily when leapt on aggressively by an elderly couple's' cocker spaniel. Of course there was the usual "never done it before" comment!!

Dogs are allowed into very few shops (with the obvious exception of assistance dogs). There are far more restaurants/coffee shops which don't allow dogs than those which do, so surely that gives everyone the choice? I'd rather sit enjoying a coffee with a friendly dog than some Gransnetters, that's for sure!

I live near a lovely park with birds and animals. I often see dogs bothering the cows while the owners look fondly on and sometimes film. Why do ignorant dog owners allow their dogs to dash through the bushes and plunge into water where there are birds. Of course they should be on a lead. I know several people who don't like dogs for different reasons. What about the right to walk in a park and not have your space invaded by poorly disciplined dogs and their supremely stupid and selfish dog owners. Dogs should never be allowed into shops and coffee shops but they are.

There are SOME selfish people of all types in our parks, I’m afraid, from yummy mummies who push you out of the way with their buggies, to young people on fast e-scooters, cyclists going at huge speeds, plus the dreaded joggers who brush past you and have been known to kick dogs out of the way, and some thoughtless dog owners, of course.

We have a dog and I think we are over cautious with him, for his safety, and for the safety of other people

But it would be nice if each park had an area where he could safely go off the lead. People can play tennis safely in a tennis court, and children’s playgrounds are out of bounds to other older people, so why not proper ‘dog parks’ within a park? This would serve several purposes.

I do feel for people who are frightened of dogs, but also annoyed that they pass this fear onto others. My disabled nephew loved dogs until he moved into a residential home aged 27, and some staff there were hysterical in their dislike and fear of dogs. It’s not helped him at all, I’m afraid.

I have grown up with dogs, and had dogs all my adult life. With one exception, I would never let any dog off a lead - you never know the trigger point for fear, and a dog may run off and be killed, as detailed in other posts. Years ago I had an elderly dog who couldn't have run if she had wanted to , and plodded gently by my side, never moving away from my left side. That animal was the exception, and all dogs over the years since then have been trained to walk properly on a lead, and never let off. If they need a lot of exercise, then owners should keep walking!

We were out walking and an unleashed dog ran up to us. Our body language must have shown that we weren't happy about this as the owner called out 'He won't bite'. DH replied 'No, but I might!'. The look on the dog owners face was priceless!

On a more serious note, it amazes me that people spend so much on their dogs, and apparently love them to bits, but will let them run risks. A friend of ours had his dog swallow a lolly stick when off the lead. It cost them a fortune to have the vet remove it, but it could have been a lot worse.

Exactly Chewbacca. If a dog on a lead comes towards me when I am out walking and I move away and don't smile at it, I usually get a dirty look.

There are just too many selfish, blinkered, emotive people about when it comes to dogs.
Those who don't like them don't understand the love people have for their pets and those that love them can't understand why anyone would dislike them.
I have two German shepherds. I know that, possibly more than any other breed, they are feared by a lot of people. Whether that be because they are often seen as guard dogs or police dogs or perhaps the similarity to wolves still taps into their basic fears I don't know. But a lot of them are big softies - and all of them are intelligent. However, I digress.
Until people who have dogs start taking more responsibility for their dogs, start treating them as dogs and not toys to dress up or, worse, children, then we'll always have issues.
Having a dog used to be a priviledge, you didn't get a dog if you were out all day, if you couldn't afford vet bills or if you didn't have time to exercise and train them. Nowadays a lot of people seem to get them as ornamentation. They seem to think their precious doggy has a right to run free. It doesn't. It's a dog. They pay eye watering money for them and treat them as human, paying little heed to the needs of the dog. They're carted off to 'doggy day care' which is often a very bad environment for dogs and they're given nothing to exercise their brains.
I hope this whole 'designer dog' trend dies down soon. It's a nightmare for a lot of people and an irritation to me as everywhere I go I have dogs running up to my on-lead dogs, closely followed by an owner trilling 'It's ok Bella/Bailey/Lola/Charlie is friendly'. No, they're badly trained and my bitch has been attacked and really doesn't take kindly to dogs running up to her so get it on a lead until you have control.
Dogs without boundaries are an accident waiting to happen.

Blondiescot

I was bitten by a dog when I was a child - didn't make me afraid of them. As someone else has very rightly said, not only should all dogs be trained properly, but children also need to be educated how to behave around dogs (around all animals, in fact). And if you're scared of something - whether it be dogs, cats, anything really - I'm sorry, but you can't really expect the whole world to adjust to take allowance of your fears.

Well said Blondiescot.

Maddison - as a life-long dog owner can I point out to you that the best way to get a dog to leave you alone is to make no eye contact.

So turning your back was exactly right and proper and the dogs' owner deserves a severe kick in the behind!

Please bear this in mind in the future. Do not make eye contact with a dog and it will ignore you. Make eye contact and it will come to you because it will be waiting for the next "message" from you.

Puglady

Totally disagree, why should dogs be on leads unless there is a requirement to do so. My local park does not require this, apart from the children's play area. I have 3 small dogs which do not approach people unless encouraged to do so and they are not aggressive towards other dogs. They love to sniff around and meet other dogs and I have no intention of putting them on leads. Children should be taught not to be terrified of dogs but to be respectful of them and not scream at them or chase them and to always ask the owner before touching them.

Puglady, totally agree with you. There appears to be alot of dog haters on here. I have had dogs all my 57 years and cannot imagine life without them. I just cannot understand people who do not like dogs/animals. Whilst I appreciate that if someone has had a scare from a badly behaved dog in the past, they can be fearful but being pragmatic, the way to get over this is to befriend a well behaved, loving dog who is owned by someone else and realise that your fear can be overcome. The amount of children who are being brought up to fear dogs by adults transferring their own fear is irresponsible and totally unreasonable. The joy that a dog can give is amazing. My children have been brought up to love and respect all animals and I fully intend to do same with future grandchildren. Yes I get so annoyed by other dog owners who do not pick up and dispose of poo properly, yes I have had scares where another dog has chased my dogs. There will always be owners unfortunately who are irresponsible but the same goes for bad parenting of ill brought up children who think it is perfectly acceptable for their wee brat to scream and shout, put their dirty feet on bus seats etc. Perhaps we should have a child license!!!

Handbaghoarder I recognise your description of CKC dogs. We’ve had two - both airheads!

We had our dogs off lead in the rural areas where we lived but on leads on pavements and parks. CKC’s ime don’t go far from their owners anyway, ours always liked to be in eye contact.

Nowadays, though, dogs so often appear to come above humans in the pecking order. All three of my UK-based children have had unfortunate interactions with dogs over lockdown. One person didn’t even have a lead on them when their dog knocked over my youngest GC.

I was also terrified out of my wits by a dog appearing from nowhere and jumping at me. I actually though I was having a heart attack, I had such a fright. Its owner was so busy chatting to her friend she didn’t know where her dog was.

Locally to me, a cat and at least two small dogs have been ripped apart by offlead dogs, in front of horrified witnesses. Imagine how any of us would feel about our grandchildren seeing such a terrible thing.

There have also been numerous dogs going missing when off lead. Some have been stolen while others have been found dead, trapped by their harness or entangled in thick undergrowth, while another one fell into a river and drowned.

Why would anyone risk that happening?

I was bitten by a dog when I was a child - didn't make me afraid of them. As someone else has very rightly said, not only should all dogs be trained properly, but children also need to be educated how to behave around dogs (around all animals, in fact). And if you're scared of something - whether it be dogs, cats, anything really - I'm sorry, but you can't really expect the whole world to adjust to take allowance of your fears.

We have some lovely walks around where we live BUT we don’t go there because there is so much dog poo.No point having fantastic scenery if you have to keep looking to see where you are putting your feet all the time. There should be strictly controlled areas free of dogs, and those where dogs are allowed. Then people have a choice. Non- dog lovers have a right not to be disadvantaged by careless and irresponsible owners

I was bitten by a dog when I was about 10, apparently it was my fault for being near it. I also had a boyfriend whose family cumber spaniel savaged him when he came home late and tripped over it in the dark. The dog, a known biter, was not put down and everyone just had to avoid it. So I'm always wary of dogs now. Hate being told 'he's just being friendly'.

Its like the illegal use of electric scooters people know what they are doing when allowing dogs off leads in public parks but think they have a right to do what they want. I keep saying laws are made for everyone else other than the offending twat.

Thank you all for your views. I must admit that I am reluctant to visit our local park with my 5 year old grandson after some aggressive dog behaviour which frightened him badly. My OH was a distance away and saw me get in between. The dog owner didn't apologise and said it was the child unused to dogs. Not true.
It isn't just the dog mess on my shoes ( pram wheel was a good one) it's the disease that can cause serious illness if dog poo goes in through a scratch, toxocariasis. Not all dogs are wormed regularly.
My nephew caught this when playing rugby.
I think there is little chance of enforcing restrictions.

Unless the dog is walking to heel with its owner and the owner is 100% confident the dog will stay there, dogs should always be on a lead around other people and animals. Most dogs are not trained properly and can’t be trusted. Owners should also pick up poop unless in rural areas where there are few other dogs and they’re doing their business in middle of a bramble patch!

There are a (large) number of dog breeds that can't be properly exercised by a sedate on-lead walk and genuinely need the ability to run.
The majority of cordoned of/fenced in dog parks are only big enough to allow the tiny breeds adequate space for a good run.
Some pp's have said that there are people who don't like being approached by dogs, well there are people and dogs who don't like being approached by children and in some cases, other adults.
Open spaces are there for everyone to enjoy. If my dog stays away from other people and people stay away from us, all should be able to enjoy their walk/run.

Not unreasonable at all. I have a CKC spaniel grandog. He is never allowed off leash in public, for his own safety- no road sense, easily distracted by anything and everything around him. He can be a timid little thing but loves his walks and outings and just generally hanging out. I’ve lost count of the times he has cowered by us as another dog races towards us to “ say hello”. We’ve had to pick him up to get him away from one over enthusiastic dog who we were reassured was “only a puppy”, albeit a puppy 3 times bigger than ours. He was terrified. And as for owners refusing to clean up behind their dogs, I wont even get started ?

I walk the dogs first thing every morning on the beach. Most mornings it's only dog-walkers there. On the prom, plenty of joggers, walkers, wretched escooters etc. To me (and the dogs because of how they've been 'brought up') it's not a walk unless they've been off-lead.
If it's high tide, we might go to a local park, again predominantly dog-walkers. The idea that people want to lay down hard and fast rules because of a tiny minority is strange.
We give small children a wide berth if they are near us. Occasionally we'll stop and let a child tickle one of them if they show shy interest.