dogs must be on leads March 1st till 31 july

Dogs do need to sniff and love running free. It’s less safe to have dogs off lead because of the numbers of dogs with poor manners
They get more tired by mental than physical activity

Several fields near here have public footpaths and signs saying keep dogs on leads because of skylarks nesting. Despite this we have ignorant dog owners who think it doesn’t apply to them 😡

watermeadow

My dog is extremely lively and needs to run free and chase balls to get enough exercise because I am old and slow. She’s a mixed breed and turned out to have 100% terrier traits.
There are lots of places she has to be on a lead but where possible I walk her loose and regard it as a God-given right for both kids and dogs to run free.

Hope you pick up the dog poo when she is ‘running free’.

So you think dog owners who let their dogs off don’t pick up poo? 😬

Dog walkers with one or two of their own dogs off lead can always clean up, providing they’re responsible. You should always have your dogs in sight, ensuring they’re safe, under control so protecting other people and dogs
The lovely area I’ve walked my dogs over 50 years is a no go in the morning. It’s dominated by ‘professional’ dog walkers. They open their van doors and let 6-8 dogs run out, barking and doing what dogs do early in their walk. No one can control a pack if 8 random dogs, or clean up after them
Grumble…….

valdali I expect the law would stop dogs leaping into ponds and lakes.

Calendargirl

watermeadow

My dog is extremely lively and needs to run free and chase balls to get enough exercise because I am old and slow. She’s a mixed breed and turned out to have 100% terrier traits.
There are lots of places she has to be on a lead but where possible I walk her loose and regard it as a God-given right for both kids and dogs to run free.

Hope you pick up the dog poo when she is ‘running free’.

We can walk for miles through fields and woodland and never see another soul and our Lab is usually off lead and running free (never around livestock, I might add) and yes, I always pick up after him, even if there is no-one around to see. It's what being a responsible dog owner is all about.

I suspect OP was just reminding people as the date approaches. This is not new.

The law is in Schedule 2 the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (and The Access to the Countryside (Coastal Margin) (England) Order 2010).

During the period beginning with 1st March and ending with 31st July in each year, section 2(1) does not entitle a person to be on any land if he takes, or allows to enter or remain, any dog which is not on a short lead.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Schedules has as list of protected birds. RSPB list:

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/schedules

I don't have a dog, I have a pussy. I also have a cat.

Rosie thinks that’s too long to be on her lead.
Is she allowed to take it off at night? 🐕‍🦺

Iam64

Dog walkers with one or two of their own dogs off lead can always clean up, providing they’re responsible. You should always have your dogs in sight, ensuring they’re safe, under control so protecting other people and dogs
The lovely area I’ve walked my dogs over 50 years is a no go in the morning. It’s dominated by ‘professional’ dog walkers. They open their van doors and let 6-8 dogs run out, barking and doing what dogs do early in their walk. No one can control a pack if 8 random dogs, or clean up after them
Grumble…….

Can I add my grumble, too. There was a programme on tv last night in which one of the dogs featured had a damaged eye after it had been walked by a dog walker. It was lucky not to lose it's eye. I don't see how one walker can safely control and look after several dogs.

My friend is a dog walker, but she only does one-to-one walks (or two if they are both from the same household), but this is one of her gripes too. She regularly sees other dog walkers struggling to control several dogs and says that it would be next to impossible for someone to try to pick up poo if they've got several dogs to try to keep under control at the same time. We often see one particular dog walker's van and that's what she does - gets out and lets several dogs just run loose. There's no way they can control that many.

Remember the dog walker who got killed by the 6 dogs she was walking? Clearly it is impossible to control so many dogs.

ViceVersa

No responsible dog owner would let their dog be off lead around livestock anyway. If you are born and brought up in the country around livestock, it's common sense anyway. Unfortunately, that seems to be in short supply among many dog owners nowadays - and it is those ones who give the rest of us a bad name.

I found myself in conversation with a young woman recently who admitted that her dog was not very good at recall. I said something about Gloucestershire Police putting out information recently about the growing number of dog attacks on sheep. Her response was to say that farmers should put up notices if there were sheep in fields so that dog owners had time to put their dog on a lead!
There's something about dogs these days, they've become children in the owner's eyes and nothing must be said about their behaviour and they must be allowed elsewhere regardless of the feelings of others. It's distressing.

Dog walkers can handle six dogs - if they are well trained, and a compatible group.
Round me several fields have been opened specifically to allow dogs space to run in an enclosed area, which is a good idea, and I know some dog walkers use those as an alternative to public land.

Everywhere not elsewhere!!

Notagranyet24

ViceVersa

No responsible dog owner would let their dog be off lead around livestock anyway. If you are born and brought up in the country around livestock, it's common sense anyway. Unfortunately, that seems to be in short supply among many dog owners nowadays - and it is those ones who give the rest of us a bad name.

I found myself in conversation with a young woman recently who admitted that her dog was not very good at recall. I said something about Gloucestershire Police putting out information recently about the growing number of dog attacks on sheep. Her response was to say that farmers should put up notices if there were sheep in fields so that dog owners had time to put their dog on a lead!
There's something about dogs these days, they've become children in the owner's eyes and nothing must be said about their behaviour and they must be allowed elsewhere regardless of the feelings of others. It's distressing.

What a ridiculous attitude (that young woman, not you)! I agree that many owners now treat their dogs like children or as some kind of novelty or fashion accessory. If your dog doesn't have good recall, then it shouldn't be off the lead, full stop (unless it's in a secured dog park or similar facility).

Good. Our neighbour was knocked to the ground by a ‘free-running’ dog in the local park. Not fun at 78 years old.

Similar incidents have happened with both runners and children.
As always. It

As always it’s not the dog’s behaviour but the owner’s training and control which is lacking. The lame excuse if ‘he’s only being friendly’ just doesn’t cut it. I’m afraid I think dogs should be on leads in public places. Casdon We also have ‘dog fields’ which are great.

LaCrepescule

So you think dog owners who let their dogs off don’t pick up poo? 😬

Some certainly don’t pick up and they are even brazen enough to tell you about it. Part of a local village green was given over to No Mow May last year. A woman posted that when her dog fouled in the unmown area she was sometimes unable to pick up loose motions due to the long grass. Apparently, people were to make sure they and their children kept a look out to avoid stepping in pools of sh*t.

The entitlement is breathtaking. As one might imagine she received a number of strongly worded replies.

It'sprobably different areas. Round here I see 100's of dogs in the various parks and they do not run up to random strangers, or attack other dogs.
The occassional over-exuberant still-learning puppy will run across to other dogs on leads or strangers, but they all take weeks /months to learn how to behave in public, no matter how well-trained in garden. They are generally small & non-agressive at that age.
I would say any problem dogs round here are 99% guaranteed to be on a lead. I know I'm in a "nice" area & reading these threads I can see that I'm lucky, but round here nearly all dogs are off-lead in the park / woods & don't cause problems. There's very little dog mess left & when it is, yes I'm afraid it's the dog walkers with 5 or 6 off-lead who are responsible.(I've picked up after them before now)

I take it that this is in the UK? I find it very very frustrating when one doesn’t know which county or even country the poster lives in.

MayBee70

Iam64

Dog walkers with one or two of their own dogs off lead can always clean up, providing they’re responsible. You should always have your dogs in sight, ensuring they’re safe, under control so protecting other people and dogs
The lovely area I’ve walked my dogs over 50 years is a no go in the morning. It’s dominated by ‘professional’ dog walkers. They open their van doors and let 6-8 dogs run out, barking and doing what dogs do early in their walk. No one can control a pack if 8 random dogs, or clean up after them
Grumble…….

Can I add my grumble, too. There was a programme on tv last night in which one of the dogs featured had a damaged eye after it had been walked by a dog walker. It was lucky not to lose it's eye. I don't see how one walker can safely control and look after several dogs.

Particularly when it’s a woman. We have seen this and DH and I used to wonder what she would do if she met an aggressive dog.

BlueBelle

Talking of dogs I see that police had to shoot 2 XL bullies that had attacked an 84 man today They had to use 19 bullets all of which were in target to kill the dogs A woman owner is in custody and the 84 year old in hospital

What a disgrace. 19 bullets. Appalling.
In zoos vets anaesthetize huge, thick skinned animals with darts. But instead it was chosen to kill these animals in this slowish, inhumane way. They could have been anaesthetized first. Were they?
If not, a disgrace and stinks of gung-ho, macho revenge to me.
Should be an enquiry if this report is correct.
** It's not the dogs, it's the owners!!! Always. **
Words fail me.
I hope the man recovers well. I hope the dogs rest in peace.

LucyLocket55 I was brought up in the country side and my experience is the same as yours. I remember warning signs on field gates in lambing season too.

valdali

It'sprobably different areas. Round here I see 100's of dogs in the various parks and they do not run up to random strangers, or attack other dogs.
The occassional over-exuberant still-learning puppy will run across to other dogs on leads or strangers, but they all take weeks /months to learn how to behave in public, no matter how well-trained in garden. They are generally small & non-agressive at that age.
I would say any problem dogs round here are 99% guaranteed to be on a lead. I know I'm in a "nice" area & reading these threads I can see that I'm lucky, but round here nearly all dogs are off-lead in the park / woods & don't cause problems. There's very little dog mess left & when it is, yes I'm afraid it's the dog walkers with 5 or 6 off-lead who are responsible.(I've picked up after them before now)

I would say that generally this town is nice too but I've read of dog attacks on the local FB page more than once. Usually a snarling, large, off-lead animal attacking a smaller dog which is on a lead, leaving dog and owner traumatised.
There is not usually an apology either.