Dogs to be kept on lead.

I'm not a 'dog person' but I don't dislike them (& I was very fond of DD's Staffie)
However, when I took my DGS1 (age 3 and unused to dogs) to have a picnic in the park - yes, lots of 'Dogs must be on a lead' signs - and a Jack Russell suddenly ran across our blanket and snatched his sandwich from his hand I yelled at the elderly lady who came wandering over the brow of the hill a few minutes later. She simply looked at me, sighed, said, 'He does that when he's hungry' and wandered off - leaving me with a hysterical toddler...! ??

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 !

Quaver22, I agree with you. They ruin my walk when I am out with my on-lead dog.

I don't think the original poster is being unreasonable at all.
If the signs say dogs are to be on leads then they should be on leads. There are too many people who don't follow rules these days.
I have a rescue Staffie from Battersea who was badly treated before she came to us and is very reactive to other dogs if they approach her, for this reason she is always on a lead. Far too often other owners allow their dogs to run up to her calling out, "They're friendly!", well mine isn't and she will lunge and bark if afraid. These people rarely have good recall for their dogs. Dogs are meant to be under their owners control and having your dog off the lead with poor recall skills is not having them under control. I have spent years and a great deal of money on a behaviourist trying to get over this issue, she is better now, but I think the problems are so deep rooted that she will never get over them.
Not everyone likes dogs, they don't want dogs running up to them "to be friendly". If I was with children I would be very wary of any approaching dogs regardless of size.
I had an incident in the car park of Scotney Castle last month, we were walking to the fields, when a woman let her gundog (pointer type) out of the back of her car not on a lead, the dog ran up to us, very big and bouncy so my dog reacted by barking, I did call out to the woman that my dog wasn't friendly but her dog was out of the car and bouncing around before she could stop it. She struggled to call her dog back and gave us a very judgmental look as if was our fault, maybe due to my breed of dog. Yet another person ignoring rules as dogs should be on leads at National Trust properties, also very dangerous letting your dog out in a car park not on a lead. This dog could have easily knocked over a child or an older person or someone with mobility issues.

In the USA the parks have doggy areas where they can play, have fun and poo. From what I've seen, the owners are very responsible and guide their dogs to the poo area, which has bins and pick up the poo. It is very annoying especially when a large dog is running towards you full speed and seems out of control and the owner just strolls along.

It is not unreasonable no, I have dogs and so does my daughter We always exercise off the lead as they trained to recall well. Wouldn’t dream of letting them off where the signs say no dogs off the lead or taking them to places clearly signposted no dogs at all and always clear up poo

There seem to be a minority of incredibly stupid, selfish , rude and downright dangerous people who refuse to put their dogs on a lead, often big dogs, as though they have some right to behave as they wish without thought or consequences, these needs to be addressed by the authorities as people and dogs have been attacked and those morons walk away Scot free, totally unacceptable as is all the stupid idiots who are too lazy too take the dog poo bags home and leave them around the bin, on the floor,in the grass or hanging in bushes, disgusting

I am constantly amazed by owners who allow their dogs to run up to me and expect me to stroke and admire them. How am I to know whether a strange dog is being friendly or aggressive?
Dogs off leads ruin my walks in parks and woodland .

I have lost count of the number of times a dog has run towards me with the owner shouting, Don't worry, he/she is friendly. and I end up with muddy paw prints, slobber, snot or dog hair on my clothes or I have them sniffing around my pockets for food when all I have been doing is minding my own business walking to an appointment.

I'm petite and on one occasion I was knocked off my feet by a large, meaty labrador who ran at me head on and jumped up at my face.

I do nothing to encourage this behaviour. I don't make eye contact but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

I do not rub my muddy shoes, leave phlegm, snot or empty the contents off my hair brush onto your clothes so why do I have to tolerate this from your dogs? It's bad enough having to watch for dog shit on the pavement. Many owners still don't pick up or even if they do there's still residue on the pavement.

I don't actively dislike dogs but I don't want their attention either. What I dislike is indulgent owners who think everyone should love their dog and make a fuss of it. It's probably the fuss-making from their owners that makes them this way.

My grandson, who is on the Autistic spectrum is terrified of dogs and sometimes refuses to go to his local park because of this. A young girl was badly savaged in the same park a few months ago. Dog owners, including members of my family, are so selfish about this!

'Something nasty in the woodshed' experience as a child excused her not making changes.

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.

I am scared of dogs since being bitten by a collie when I was a child. Dog owners must understand that their "fur baby" is my fierce killer.

Santana you are not being unreasonable if there are signs preventing dogs from walking without a lead. Also you are not being unreasonable in expecting dog owners to exercise due thought even when there are no such signs. As the owner of a very obedient lab many years ago I would never take chances in a park but was fortunate enough to live on the edge of a wood. Now my daughter has two labs from the same litter. One is totally obedient and the other remains skittish and likely to chase anything that moves (both male) and both have had exactly the same training. So, in the park she keeps both on the lead even though one will never move from her heel. That said our local parks do have dog owners who are irresponsible with their dogs and frankly they get the rest of us a bad name. Dog licences and heavy fines might go some way to improving responsibility among dog owners but there will always be some. However, I do believe quite strongly that if a dog owner takes a dog into a field with permission from the field owner then that dog has priority over any family that might decide to take a trek over that property.

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?

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

I do like dogs but choose not to own one. I’ve noticed recently that everything concerning them seems to be much more relaxed. As others have said they’re all over the place in parks which are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. This is particularly annoying where I live as we have 2 huge country parks nearby which are very suitable for dog walking. It’s also noticeable to me how much things have changed in other places. My local high street is often full of dogs and they are taken into some shops and cafes. I don’t agree with this and don’t think it’s hygienic or appropriate. People should walk their dogs in a suitable area ( much better for the dog) and then leave them at home while they go shopping or out to eat.

It is regrettable that public spaces are so small and confined that dogs have to be kept away from people.

This is a fact of modern life in most towns and cities. Where there are by- laws to keep dogs on leads they should be obeyed by all dog walkers, as the alternative will be to ban dogs altogether.

I think people and children should be the priority and yea I have a dog which I love dearly. I keep it on a lead in parks and realise not everyone wants a dog running at them or their children. I don`t want my dog stolen or lost either.

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

Good grief I had no idea and am so saddened there are so many dog phobics on here. I take my dogs to parks and woods twice a day where they romp off lead and have so much fun. They charm other people all the time going up to be stroked. Many a lone person has been charmed by their friendly attention. But then I love dogs who have been our companions for at least ten thousand years but never till now expected to be our leashed slaves. I think it’s appalling how they are treated. They deserve far more respect being the lifeline and comfort to millions. I certainly wouldn’t be the happy person I am today without them after many tragic human losses. I think dogs should have the right if at least an hour off lead in the open today. They have no freedom are totally under our control and so easily abused it’s heartbreaking, all I see on here is intolerance.

olliebeak I'm totally in agreement with you. I have Rottweilers, both well trained.

I've lost count of the number of times, owners of "small dogs" have allowed their pets to run up to mine, some times barking and biting and then thought it was really funny.....imagine the situation reversed?
Now while I totally appreciate the potential of a bite from one of mine being different to the bite of a small dog, it didn't help when mine had the side of his mouth ripped open by a totally out of control small dog.
Response from the owner "aww she thinks she's a Dobermann!!!"

I rarely let my dog off lead even in woodlands or open space that's away from main roads as I worry about him going out of sight & getting hurt or stolen. We avoid busy areas anyway as we like keep to ourselves as much as possible. There's so much rubbish left behind by other walkers and also things like old rusty barbed wire, broken glass, disgusting human toilet waste etc.so I'd rather control where he walks for his safety. When I was a wee girl, I was bitten several times by strays & was afraid of dogs until I had one of my own (it took time for me to get over my fear with our first one but we bonded and became so close) I would never let any dog of mine jump up at others because I know how scary it is even if they are "only playing" So no, you're not being unreasonable at all.

We have more problems with runners ,cyclists and unruly children than with out of control dogs in our local parks

I have a golden retriever and she is brilliant, she is really well trained and as soon as we reach an open space I let her off the lead, if another dog is coming towards us or parents with children I can call her and she will sit until they have passed. It's the idiots who don't train their dogs that are the problem, other dog owners have commented and said 'OMG how do you get her to do that' which amazes me. It's the same with barking, our neighbours on both sides let their dogs bark and bark for no reason which infuriates me, our dog will bark at a knock on the door but with one click of the fingers she will stop.