Dogs to be kept on lead.

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.

We have a Springer who does not like other dogs as the first time I took her out on a lead as a puppy two dogs ran straight out and cornered her and she was terrified. The owner just took them and walked off. I ended up on the phone to the dog trainer in tears. It was something I could not control and it really upset me. That aside, we have really beautiful common land near where we live where between March and end of July you are supposed to keep your dogs on the lead because of low nesting birds. We find an alternative or keep her on a lead but there are so many other dog walkers that totally ignore the signs. There are so many instances where some dog walkers give others a bad name. A friend and I go walking through the countryside on a Monday and the times you see people throwing sticks in the middle of the farmers crops without a thought. And don't get me started on the full poo bag hanging in the middle of the countryside on a tree. What is the matter with these people.

Having been bitten by a dog as a child, I’ve always been wary of them. I think if a dog is in a public place it should be on a lead, no ifs,buts or maybes.

Maybe you should start a petition, a number of these accounts are harrowing, and I'm shocked!

Grannygranby, you’ve captured my thoughts exactly. A well trained, well behaved dog shouldn’t be any bother to others. Train your dog properly and they are far less of a hazard than the average child - especially one on a scooter. Yes, my dog goes on a lead on those parts of the park he is required to, but otherwise he walks beautifully and is no bother to anyone. We are often complimented on what a beautiful, well behaved dog he is. I’m sure he wishes he could say the same about other park users! I think greater tolerance is required all round and more thoughtfulness by all would make the world a far nicer place.

I have owned dogs all my life and they are always on a harness/lead in places where I might meet other dogs/people. A dog needs training to be sociable, pass people, bikes, joggers, children and other dogs without fuss, learn to keep its paws on the ground and obey owner commands. otherwise it is an untrained dog, the problem I see today is people who have "fur babies" and allow their dogs to be like naughty children and pampered beyond reason. Don't get me started on coats, jumpers, fleeces etc, the only breed of dog that needs protection is a greyhound or whippet, every dog has its own fur coat for all weathers!

We have had holidays nearly spoiled by dogs both in England, Italy and France. Our already covid restricted holidays were spoiled by dogs. . The dogs were very much in evideidence The time we went out to the garden for lunch it was spoiled by the dogs patrolling the table even putting their paws on us. It happened every time we tried.
The exit from the drive was difficult and we nearly caught one as my DH could not see it.
They were not vicious in fact too friendly. This has happened in other cottages as well.
I am afraid of dogs after an encounter with an Alsation as a child. DH is not much better even though they did have a dog.
Lots of his walks in National parks have been spoiled by dogs running free among sheep.
My BIL was round up while jogging in a so-called dog-free park.
People bring their dogs to our village bag up the poo then hang it on a tree or gate It is a farming village and I have never been frightened of the village dogs they come to the end of their territory then go back no barks or snarls.
I once got so frustrated in a large supermarket car park being hounded by a dog that I pushed my trolley at it, the owner soon appeared and gave me a good dressing down, while the uncontrolled dog nearly cased a car crash with two reversing cars trying to avoid it.
I know people love their pets but that does not mean everyone else has to love them as well and the damage they do in the countryside to poor animals like sheep and deer is unbelievable also we should be able to take children to designated parks without them being pestered or frightened by dogs.

Kamiso: "Perhaps it’s time to bring back dog licences with a training element attached?"

I don't think any responsible dog owner would disagree with that.

I'm not phobic. I just don"t like them.

Same here. I understand that dog owners believe that their dog is well behaved and "just wants to say hello and be friendly, he won't hurt you"; but I don't want your dog to run over to me and jump up at me with its filthy feet all over my coat, drool all over me or rub its snotty nose down my clothes. I just want to go about my business with no interaction with your dog. It's fine that you love it. But please don't just assume that the rest of us feel the same way about your dog.

MayBee70

Oh Maddison, that’s really awful. My grandson used to be scared of dogs. Less so now that he has a dog of his own but he’s still scared. So is his dad. People need to realise that. My dogs have been attacked so many times but quite often, if I ask people to move their dogs away I just get a mouthful of abuse. Most times when a dog has gone for mine the owner has just said ‘that’s never happened before’ even though their dog is loose and mines on a lead. And then they just carry on walking as if nothing had happened.

Hi Maybee you are right, i just wish people would start being nice to one another, i really can't believe the dog owner who say's it's never done that before!!!! it must be upsetting for you to have your dog attacked take care

We wouldn’t have been allowed to have our golden retriever if we hadn’t agreed to let him have at least one hours free run every day plus a garden large enough for him to run around in.

His Crufts breeder told us that we must hold on to his collar and ensure all paws are on the ground when he greets people, which worked really well.

Unfortunately lots of people bought dogs, some from puppy farms, and don’t do any training with them at all.

Perhaps it’s time to bring back dog licences with a training element attached?

Zoejory

*I'm not over-keen on the 'ankle-biter breeds' - I've had TWO Jack Russells in the past, and found them to be far nastier than any GSDs that I'd previously owned.*

Why would you have 2 Jacks if you find them to be nasty?

At that time, I lived in a house with a smallish garden - certainly no place for a larger breed to be cooped up inside.

We got JR1 as a puppy from a neighbour whose 'bitch' had a litter that they needed to home at 8-10weeks. Having taken him on, we found him to be a lovely dog WITHIN OUR OUR HOME - but outdoors he seemed to think that every other dog was a challenge to be beaten and 'the bigger, the better'. He had a similar outlook with taxis (black cab style) / buses / lorries. I had to double-check the local dog-walking field before going on there with him when it came to walkies - but I didn't let him off-leash. He had one of those retractable leads where you could 'halt their progress' as they tried to leave you, while you could 'home in on them' shortening the lead at each movement. He was good with myself, my husband and my children - who all knew better than to over-excite him when playing. We needed to have him put to sleep due to a health issue and thought we'd try again. It was good to have a dog around, as we lived on a Housing Estate where houses were very often burgled.

JR2 was very similar to JR1 but not quite as 'nippy' though he had a thing about 'boys on bikes' (poor paper boy!) and 'milkmen/postmen/binmen' - all people who came to our home to leave something (post/paper/milk). We had to establish a very strict regime of locking him in one room, before opening the door that lead into the hallway/front door. Next-door had a female Dobermann that he was totally besotted with - definitely a 'changed creature' in her very regal presence. We had him for about 10yrs and he proved to be an excellent guard dog - we were one of the few houses NOT to get broken into. He was run over after one particular escape attempt' and unfortunately didn't survive - I was devastated on behalf of the Lorry Driver who actually hit him.

I've never had another dog since that one - had a cat for 14years instead.

I've now developed a 'reaction to pet fur/dander' to that's the end of my pet owning .

Caleo

Elless, not all dogs are perfect Goldens! Not all owners are intelligent!

What I was trying to say is that a good owner should train their dog properly otherwise it should be kept on a lead. Before my Golden I had two British Inuits (look like wolves) these were even better behaved, they looked aggressive but were bred to be submissive and because of the way they looked I had to train them well.

I can see everyone's point of view here especially the jumping up. A friend was out walking with a group of friends when a labrador ran into her leg. She has suffered with knee pain ever since. Until my daughters large dog did the same to me I didn't understand what my friend meant by the level of pain. I felt sick and faint but luckily for me I suffered no long term difficulties

I have a small dog and am amazed by what I see sometimes. People who walk on the beach with their dog but don't rein them in as they approach toddlers walking with their families.

I am lucky where I live now as most dog owners round here are very responsible. You rarely see waste on the pavement and the local council have sensibly put in lots of poo bins that are emptied regularly.

Cossy

Sorry Bluebell Totally disagree, if there are no signs up dogs have as much right to exercise off the lead as humans ! Majority of dogs only get sufficient exercise when allowed to run free. Having said that if your dog is not well trained to recall, very anxious or in any way aggressive, then keep them muzzled and try and exercise them late at night or early in the morning ! Keep your dog, you and other people safe !

Totally agree! Don't tar responsible dog owners with the same brush as irresponsible ones. Unless you are in an area where it specifically states dogs should be kept on a lead, I don't see what the problem is. We are lucky enough to live in an area where our back gate leads straight into fields and woodlands and our dogs have rarely been walked on lead. They've been trained to walk to heel without a lead and to recall.
Oh, and grandtanteJE65, I can't believe you would advocate leaving a dog in a car overnight! That's the height of irresponsibility. No dog should really be left alone in a car for any period, never mind overnight. Would you leave a child alone in a car?

I suffer from Cynophobia and can’t use my local park as dogs run freely all over the place. There was signage but it’s disappeared !!

If there is a designated space for dogs to run free, the owners who ignore this are just plain ignorant. It’s so hard to convince people -some dog owners, some cyclists, some joggers - that sharing means making way for pedestrians and children.

It’s highly unlikely that the police would take action, sadly.

You were brave to challenge these dog owners, some would be very abusive even if they’re in the wrong but there again others will conform. People need to understand dogs are wild animals even though they may be trained sometimes like people they have a bad day. Parks and recreation areas should be respected for dogs on leads or not at all, after all who wants to go home with dog muck on their shoes or clothes. Plus people don’t like strange dogs running up to then, sometimes jumping at you .
Also as I found this morning an owner may have a friendly dog, but the other dog may be very aggressive and fortunately was kept on a lead.

Since there is signage, no you are not being unreasonable. However, signage is virtually useless if there's no official about to enforce it - whether that's a warning or fine.

As a long term dog owner, I’m frequently appalled by the behaviour of some owners who don’t pick up after their dogs or fail to muzzle dogs known to bite. I agree that dogs should be on leads around children. All problems to do with acceptable/unacceptable behaviour in dogs stem from their owners and as another poster has stated, their lack of respect/consideration for others. My only caveat about dogs always being on leads is that a well-behaved, well-trained dog should be permitted some off-leash exercise. I’m fortunate to live in a semi-rural location with direct access to countryside walks where my Labradors are only leashed if children or unfamiliar dogs are present, or if I have to walk on a road with traffic. Those who live in urban areas should have access to free exercise space for their dogs and I have seen designated ‘free-exercise’ areas for dogs in local country parks. Surely more designated areas such as these is the solution?

grandtanteJE65

Never ever advocate leaving a dog alone overnight in a car ! There are many dog friendly cafes, hotels and B&Bs in this country and I think if you don’t like this then don’t visit these places, don’t outlaw then for those who love their dogs as much as their family

Alioop

My dog is a rescue and has never been off a lead and never will be. I have different lengths of leads to use, depending where we are and what I'm allowed to do. On holidays, some parts of beaches dogs are not allowed and I would never dream of taking her on them. The signs are there for a reason and it makes me so angry at dog owners ignoring them as it gives us all a bad name. My friend is frightened of animals and I see the state she gets into even with a bird, never mind a dog running at her. People need to understand not everyone is an animal lover and take responsibility for their pets.

There is secured fields for this so they can run free.

I live in the countryside and notice that here when people approach you with a dog they will put the dog on the lead out of courtesy. In towns and cities it doesn't appear to be the same.

My dog has bomb-proof recall and as she's 12 now she plods around harmlessly at snails pace. Despite this I would always put her on a lead where it is required or where there are people, dogs or other animals.

It would be very sad and bad for some dogs if all dogs had to be on the lead at all times. There are many places where it's possible for dogs to be free and fulfil their doggy natures to their heart's content without being harm to anyone.

The PSCO won’t do anything unless there is an attack and if it’s dog on dog you’ve no chance unless you’ve money to throw at it.

There is signage but some of it is piss poor and folks don’t see them to begin with.

Mine are leaded when folks approach or other dogs not that I don’t trust mine but others as I’ve had people slap mine as they walk past shouting they are to big to be there. I’ve a giant breed.

I’m WTF and have had show downs or the dogs attacking mine. We now time our visits out or we use a secure field sadly

Alioop

My dog is a rescue and has never been off a lead and never will be. I have different lengths of leads to use, depending where we are and what I'm allowed to do. On holidays, some parts of beaches dogs are not allowed and I would never dream of taking her on them. The signs are there for a reason and it makes me so angry at dog owners ignoring them as it gives us all a bad name. My friend is frightened of animals and I see the state she gets into even with a bird, never mind a dog running at her. People need to understand not everyone is an animal lover and take responsibility for their pets.

You sound like me Alioop! So many irresponsible dog owners around.