Off Leash Areas

[Lollipup]

They are proposing an off leash area where I live as we don't have many. It's a beach with park lands surrounding it, really nice. There was a time I would have been all for it but thinking about how many dog fights I have heard of happening in off lead parks and the lack of common sense I know abounds, I hesitate to support it. Especially since the proposal includes designated times for off leash being allowed - peak times. This means everyone will go there for off leash time at once, more dogs, more potential for danger. So while the idea is good in theory and while dogs do need off lead exercise, I don't think this is the best decision, sadly.

Off Lead parks - Are you for or against them and what are your reasons?

[korbin13]

Personally I never have or will take my dogs to an off leash park. But having said that I believe that there should be more so that people are able to exercise their dogs, just because a few spoil it, we shouldn't punish the majority.

I have friends who have never had any issues with off leash parks. I was recently in Adelaide and stayed near a dog beach (well I assume it was, there were plenty of dogs!), I would walk there for about half an hour every day for seven days and never saw an issue.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

I like off leash parks, but I like them to be well planned. I agree when there are time restrictions it does mean that there will likely be a lot of users at those times which does increase the likelihood of coming across less considerate people. But if they are well planned to keep dogs safe then they are a good idea.

All that being said, I don't use the off leash park across the road from my house because there are too many idiots near me (eg. let dog go to park on it's own, leave dog with 5 year old child as only supervisor, ride their dirt bikes through, eetc), and my council isn't interested in making any dog parks that will be safe for all users (they are all about reducing the number of them).

[kima]

I am lucky enough to have never had a bad experience with leash free parks. We have a leash free reserve near home and we take our Stafford there most evenings. Have never had any issue or seen any fights.

Recently we have also been going to a dog beach every Saturday with a friend and their dogs and whilst it has been quite busy some weekends, we have never seen any aggressive behaviour between dogs. My Stafford and my friends Dalmatian and foxy have a ball running around with all other dogs ranging from small fluffies and Italian greyhounds to boxers and German shepherds.

I'm not saying dog fights dont/can't happen, I have just found that most of the owners I have encountered tend to have good control over their dogs and constantly monitor what their dog is doing and how the dogs around it are reacting.

Obviously this may not always be the case but this has been my experience.

[Blackdogs]

I have dogs that need to run at a million miles an hour every day to be happy. If there were nowhere to do this it would severely hamper people's ability to own active dogs. Off leash areas are compulsory in today's society, particularly in this new era of property size reduction.

[RiverStar-Aura]

I'm pro off leash parks but anti fenced off leash parks.

IME, the people who frequent the non-fenced parks have a much better control over their dogs than those of fenced parks. It's basically saying that because the park has a boundary that they don't need to control their dog(s).

[LisaCC]

Was just about to say the exact same thing RiverStar-Aura :)

[piper]

A lage open space like a beach and surrounding park sounds fine.

I am with RiverStar-Aura, my issue is with the small fenced in ones. A fence means people take it for granted, also even if people that are using the 1s near me do have trained recalls the space is just not enough. There is no room in them to have your dog running off lead and out of someone else's way if needed. On the other hand if I go to the beach during summer, which means only during certain hours, I can always avoid others if needed as there is plenty of space to stay away.

[dancinbcs]

Very large off leash areas might be ok if they had big signs reminding owners that dogs had to be under effective control and that it is an offence to allow your dog to make uninvited contact with any other dog or person. I personally like the idea of set hours so anyone who does not want their dogs off lead can have a more relaxed on lead walk with their dogs at other times.

[eyeopener]

I don't like public off leash areas generally speaking as not everyone's idea of a dog being under control or sociable is the same as mine. I am blessed to live on 500ac n access to more & even when I have lived in town I just brought my dogs out here for off leash. I bought a house in town & we lived in it for a year before renting it out & moving back to the farm & an off leash area was opened straight across from us. Well it's a nightmare & still is my friend was walking a 4mth Tibetan Mastiff youngster on leash along the path & the poor pup got a real fright when 2 bull breed crosses bowled him over from behind. We are now trying to regain his confidence with people & dogs approaching from behind now & the dogs that rolled him where not aggressive just dominate rough players under NO supervision or control. Turned out the young bloke whom they belonged to was fishing off the walk bridge whilst his dog run amuck.

Edited December 1, 2012 by eyeopener

[Kirislin]

I am for them but I use them with caution. Our local park is off leash, but if I see a dog/s I dont know, I put mine on the leash. I've had a few incidents over the 13 years I've been going, the worst when Penny was attacked while she was still on leash but the other dog had broken loose. My dogs need a space to be able to run, that is bigger than my fenced yards though so I still take them there.

[donski]

I'm a big fan of off leash dog spaces. I think they are great for most dogs, most of the time, but certainly not all. I've never had / witnessed a bad incident in the years I've been going. My dogs get way more exercise than they would on an on-leash walk around the block. I think they are much better off for all their socialisation.

Another aspect that gets overlooked is the human social experience. I've made some great life long friends at dog park and my life is certainly richer for having off leash areas.

[eyeopener]

You know if the council rangers or similar policed them occasionally they could be great or the 1 near my house in town could be anyway as its the people who don't understand what having effective control is or that its not right for their dogs to bound up to other dogs etc that ruin it.

[Bullmastiffmum]

I am for and against them ........

There should be much more areas that dogs are welcome, parks beaches off leash, but there needs to be a bit of thought and consultating with dog owners.

Open paddocks for the high energy and fenced areas included for training or the not so confident yet on recall, bins for doo doo and taps for water refills.

My problem is that i cant recall the amount my boy has been rushed at , bitten ,stalked by uncontrolled dogs, and i keep him on a long lunging leash. And poop is really bad in offleash areas aswell as just around our park areas, so for that reason we dont really use any off them.

But if it wasnt for those bad unthoughtful dog owners they would and could be a fun, friendly untilized area.

[dee lee]

As long as you keep walking and don't do the hang around in groups thing, I think offlead parks are fine.

Generally, the main problems I see are with the packs of dogs playing with each other while the owners chit chat. These are the only dogs I've ever had give my dog grief. I avoid them like the plague.

I love our local parks but then, I am either running on the periphery with my dog or am away from other dogs playing fetch with her. We have limited interactions with other dogs, plus, doing it every day, we know which dogs to keep away from (ie there is a bullying BC that I always shoo away, much to the owner's chagrin- screw her, maybe she should control her bratty mutt...)

Works for us & I think offlead parks are a valuable resource if used wisely.

[Dame Aussie]

I think they should be available to people who want to use them. I am not one of those people. I do like the designated times though because it means that people who don't want to be approached by off lead dogs can still use the area, at times when it is on lead.

[Aidan3]

During summer the beach I live near is designated off leash at certain times and it gets very busy. The number of incidents are extremely low. They tend to occur with dogs I have never seen. Sometimes you get little spats where people have stopped walking to allow their dogs to play, but I don't recall ever seeing anything serious in the ten years I've lived here.

[corvus]

I actually think it's better when it's busy. Dogs have trouble focusing on one dog in a crowd. Like others, I have never directly seen a dog get hurt by another dog in an off leash area. Some people will tell me if they have had a bad experience, just so I know to keep my eye out for a particular dog. Generally we never see the dog that caused trouble. It comes once or twice, behaves alarmingly, and it and the owners are never seen again. I don't know how we could live without off leash areas, so I am definitely in favour. The bigger the better. You don't have to use it, but others will be delighted and their dogs will too. I think it's worth supporting it just for them, even if you don't want to take your dog there.

[halfthewords]

There's only one fully fenced offleash area near me, and that is the one I don't go to anymore. I've seen too many attacks in the last few years, idiot owners on the other side of the oval while their dogs are wreaking havoc, kids throwing footballs around near small dogs, what a joke. Plus nobody ever seems to pick up the poop!

There's an offleash area next to a golf course here that links up to a beach track that me and my dogs frequent. I've found most other owners there to be responsible and in control of their dogs.

On the whole, I avoid offleash areas because it only takes one moron to spoil everyone else's fun. Much prefer my local oval on our walk for offleash time.