Dogs

A colleague with two dogs pulled up in the car park of a local beauty spot and let both dogs out of the back hatch to run free. A jeep coming down the path hit the first dog, which was instantly killed. She admits she was to blame and that the poor driver, who had his own dog beside him in the jeep, was traumatised by the incident. I see so many dog owners letting their dogs out of cars to run into the park near me, with no sign of them putting a lead on the dogs. Dogs off leads are a risk to themselves and others when cars are near by, no matter how much their owners think they will be ok.

A few years ago DH came off his motorbike fracturing his wrist and causing damage to the bike due to a large dog running out in front of him. The dog was unharmed and the owner quickly disappeared.
If you can't be a responsible owner don't have a dog

We do like dogs and have been owners.

As I've mentioned before, there are going to a be a lot of problems with all the huskies that are being bought as the latest fashionable dog. Lovely dogs but need [like most breeds] to be with the right owners. As for walking a dog off it's lead; I live next to a public footpath which goes straight onto a road, with a very narrow footpath at that point. Not only is my dog always on a lead towards the end of her walk, but I always walk in front of her when I reach the path as, if she's ahead of me any driver will just see a dog appear fron behind a wall looking as if it's going to go straight onto the road and could swerve to avoid it.

I find my inner Margot Leadbetter coming to the fore, and wish we could Do Something. One thing would be to further regulate dog breeders. There are so many people who describe themselves as hobby breeders, claiming their bitch will only have this one letter, when the poor dog is bred from regularly. Health checks are not done, breeding from dogs with health or behaviour problems, the list is endless.
After having rescue dogs for over 30 years, I now have two doodle dogs. I felt slightly guilty for buying, rather than rescuing, but not guilty enough not to do it. They are fantastic dogs, but like others in their "breed", they are not for the faint hearted. High prey urge, boundless energy, high intelligence means lots of work. They are not hypoallergic, and they love mud and water. Sadly, many people buy them, because they look (usually) so bonny, and they are usually kind and gentle animals. Too many of them end up in rescue centres, or the charity that rescues poodle crosses. I don't think we can stop people sharing their lives with dogs, but I do believe there ought to be more regulation of breeding, and these folks who set themselves up at dog care/walkers, but have no qualifications, or in the case of the man I met, no common sense or courtesy for others either.

You make a very good point Iam. It only takes a few of this type of irresponsible dog owner to get us all tarred with the same brush. Our District Council tried to bring in some very harsh laws regarding dogs and luckily most of them were reversed due to a public outcry. But I saw where they were coming from.
Responsible dog ownership needs to be encouraged and irresponsible owners need to be held to account. We have ONE dog warden for the whole of our area.

sunseeker, that sounds like one of those horrible situations, where the person who is clearly 'wrong', takes the moral highground, and then shouts and becomes abusive if challenged. Leaves you feeling rotten, well it does me.
I have two dogs currently, but have often had as many as 3. I would never let them off lead near the car park at the end of our walks, or near any road. I had a very unpleasant disagreement with a man who has set himself up as a dog walker/day minder, and is using our local park to exercise them. He usually has 5, different dogs on each of his outings during the morning, and late afternoon. He parks over the entrance we all use, opens his van door, and all 5 assorted dogs race out. As they aren't his own dogs, and only know each other on occasional walks, they are an out of control pack of dogs. His dogs regularly chase up to other dogs, surrounding them. Luckily, they seem to be generally not an aggressive pack, but all it takes is one dog to take offence as being so surrounded, and no doubt a serious fight would break out.
His dogs have surrounded my two, both of mine on leads, on the car park. I asked him if he'd call them, he shouted, they aren't doing anything. I asked again, said my young dog is fear aggressive on his lead, and may well snap. If he snaps, my big dog will wade in and we'll have trouble. He said aggressively, that he didn't need a lecture, walked off, leaving his dogs harrassing mine. Luckily, my dogs behaved well, and jumped into the car with no problems. He is a menace to responsible dog owners. The local dog warden says as his dogs haven't attacked me, or bitten my dogs, they can do nothing.
It was my understanding that one handler can now only exercise 4 dogs. It used to be 6, according to our local dog trainers at Guide Dogs for the Blind. The dog warden said this is up to individual councils. I find this worrying. There is a growing dislike of dogs amongst some people, and situations like the one Sunseeker talks about, and the fool I've described, can only add to the fear and dislike of dogs. Dogs need to run free, but shouldn't be allowed off leads near roads, children's play grounds etc. Responsible dog owners clean up after their dogs as well. Bad owners don't!

Thanks for the supportive replies - I was so angry I just had to vent! I would have been really upset if I had hit the dog, like I say I am an animal lover myself.

He was totally out of order sunseeker . As biker said it is illegal to have your dogs off the lead on a public highway.

What an idiot! Maybe gives us a clue to his mentality though. This is someone I would not class as a dog lover, jeopardizing their safety as he did! The same as others have said, I would never take a chance like that no matter how obedient my dog is.

I know how it can really shake you up when you come across morons like this sunseeker but don't let it get to you. He was the one in the wrong.

How awful for you and what a prat of a man,I love our little dog dearly but would never let him off his lead even in the park anything could just catch his eye and he would be off.I wonder the mentality of some dog owners how on earth can you control 3 dogs all at once with no leads on them.

Never fails to amaze me the number of dog owners who have their dogs off lead near a road.My dogs are pretty obedient but I would never dream of having them off lead near a road,hope you gave as good as you got Sunseeker

sunseeker next time send for GNetters..nasty man!! we will soon sort him out..nasty person.huh! how dare he speak to one of us like that! and we will repoty him for shouting and being abusive and does he know that it is illegal not! to have dogs on a lead now! (well I think it is)