Leaving Dogs Tethered Outside The Supermarket

[Spot.]

I used to take my dog with me to a small set of shops when I went to either the chemist/the bakery/take away store/convenience store. I was only ever in there for a few minutes at most and I never had any troubles. I grew up in that area and for me and my dog the risk was minimal.

I now live in Sydney and the closest set of shops is a shopping centre so leaving her tied up out the front is not an option. Kind of sad really as I like walking with the dogs to get a few supplies :)

[Rosetta]

I have finally read through all posts and think that too many people these days seem to live their lives on what ifs and have a fear of too many things.

Animals and children are losing so much freedom because of their guardians insecurities.

My dogs/pets and children are my world but I don't think it's healthy to wrap them all in cotton wool.

Where I live many people still walk their dogs off leash, tie them in front of shops and take them to the school rarely is there any incidents, mostly they are all social and well behaved.

Just last night we were at the local beach there were numerous dogs off leash running around (technically they shouldn't have been) it was busy but everyone was happy and there were no problems.

I am so glad to live in an area where people are friendly and wouldn't even bother getting involved unless an animal or person was in actual distress no matter what the laws are.

Just in reference to all the dogs running off leash at the beach when they should have been on leash, do any of you who do this give any consideration to people who want to take their dog to on leash areas and can't because no one is obeying the rules? Not all dogs can handle other dogs running up to them and it's not fair for those dogs and their owners to not only not be able to go to off leash areas because no one has "effective control" of their dogs but to then also be unable to go to on leash areas because people are letting their dogs off leash there too.

I agree - I get tired of people who think rules don't apply to them. I won't take my dog to a beach at all because of all the off lead dogs - I don't know what these dogs are like and I am not going to risk my dog getting attacked and killed because of some idiot who thinks complying with laws and rules is anal.

[Rascalmyshadow]

Just to clarify I didn't have my own dogs at the beach but everyone lets their dogs off at our local beach it's considered normal around here and most people have no issues with it.

If you go up the beach to the pier and shops it's completely different, most dogs are kept on lead.

[mita]

Maeby, I think you started a great discussion, and hopefully made lots of us think twice, one way or the other.

Well said.

[Greytmate]

ETA - I would much rather live in a world where someone who had concerns about my dogs/family/me said something to someone than a world where everyone ignores everyone else.

It's not the world you live in, but the size and density of the town/city/neighbourhood you live in that largely determines whether people 'say something' or whether people mind their own business. Living in a high density environment means that people actually need to ignore a lot of undesirable things to avoid being totally overwhelmed by other people's problems.

It's why small town or small neighbourhood living is so attractive. More people feel comfortable interacting with and helping out strangers. People in these places are more likely to take action if they see suspicious or undesirable activity, and so dogs are less likely to be stolen from in front of shops. Big cities can be very different.

[mantis]

I have finally read through all posts and think that too many people these days seem to live their lives on what ifs and have a fear of too many things.

Animals and children are losing so much freedom because of their guardians insecurities.

My dogs/pets and children are my world but I don't think it's healthy to wrap them all in cotton wool.

Where I live many people still walk their dogs off leash, tie them in front of shops and take them to the school rarely is there any incidents, mostly they are all social and well behaved.

Just last night we were at the local beach there were numerous dogs off leash running around (technically they shouldn't have been) it was busy but everyone was happy and there were no problems.

I am so glad to live in an area where people are friendly and wouldn't even bother getting involved unless an animal or person was in actual distress no matter what the laws are.

Just in reference to all the dogs running off leash at the beach when they should have been on leash, do any of you who do this give any consideration to people who want to take their dog to on leash areas and can't because no one is obeying the rules? Not all dogs can handle other dogs running up to them and it's not fair for those dogs and their owners to not only not be able to go to off leash areas because no one has "effective control" of their dogs but to then also be unable to go to on leash areas because people are letting their dogs off leash there too.

I agree - I get tired of people who think rules don't apply to them. I won't take my dog to a beach at all because of all the off lead dogs - I don't know what these dogs are like and I am not going to risk my dog getting attacked and killed because of some idiot who thinks complying with laws and rules is anal.

It makes me angry when you can't walk your dog, because idiots think they can do what they like. They don't understand that a lot of dogs who are FA/DA, is because they have been attacked by off lead dogs. Sure your dog might be friendly, but keep it out of my dogs face.

[Rascalmyshadow]

I agree no dog should be allowed to approach another dog on or off lead without the owners consent.

Just because people have their dogs off leash doesn't make them all irresponsible idiots, mostly around here we all call our dogs back if we see another dog and they're all put on leads.

We are a quiet beachside community not an inner city suburb, it is a very friendly area and everyone knows everyone. We have numerous great off leash areas and at busy times you would be lucky to see anymore than 5-6 dogs at the one park.

Just because others are unlucky enough to live in areas where it is impossible to have so much freedom doesn't mean us lucky ones should be criticised.

[Dame Aussie]

I agree no dog should be allowed to approach another dog on or off lead without the owners consent.

Just because people have their dogs off leash doesn't make them all irresponsible idiots, mostly around here we all call our dogs back if we see another dog and they're all put on leads.

We are a quiet beachside community not an inner city suburb, it is a very friendly area and everyone knows everyone. We have numerous great off leash areas and at busy times you would be lucky to see anymore than 5-6 dogs at the one park.

Just because others are unlucky enough to live in areas where it is impossible to have so much freedom doesn't mean us lucky ones should be criticised.

The thing is though that no one knows whether the dogs that are off leash in an on leash area all have amazing recall and responsible owners without entering the area and people who need to know other dogs won't approach theirs can't take the chance that even one dog doesn't fit that bill. This means they miss out on using that area altogether because those owners have decided their dog having the freedom to run off leash where it shouldn't is more important than the needs of other dog owners to know that they are safe to use on leash areas for their intended purpose.

I agree. So many dogs have run up to us with the owner saying "he's friendly"....well how do they know mine are?! Maybe that's why they're on lead.

[bamboo]

Is onleash/ offleash always black and white? In my country town the main off leash dog walking area is the showgrounds. It is not officially off leash, but has been used as such literally for decades by locals. The caretaker has stated that he has no issue with off leash dogs if they don't chase cows or horses which are often grazing there and owners clean up after them. Most locals would expect that it is likely loose dogs could be encountered there. Official areas are very few, small and generally uninteresting for dogs or owners. Those people who would prefer to walk their dogs on leash and feel (relatively) secure that they won't be approached have every other street and field in town available to them. This group included myself until I felt confident in my own dogs improved social skills, so I do get that offleash is not for everybody.

[Rascalmyshadow]

There are many places to walk around here without constantly running into off leash dogs. My old standard poodle was dog and (sometimes) human aggressive, I had certain times (early morning or late at night) and places where I knew I could walk her safely.

If I walk all 4 dogs on my own I also do things different than if I have 1 or 2, or if my husband is with me.

It is definitely a situation that is different depending on where you live and what your dogs are like.

[Blackdogs]

For those that think their dog is safe look in the news thread re: the staffy stolen outside a very popular supermarket

And it's so rare that it made the news.

It's not the only one that's made the news recently but think of how often it might happen where it doesn't make the news.

People, do what you like, but please don't bitch about those of us who won't leave our dogs to chance outside a shop.

I hope that second line isn't directed at me, because nowhere did I bitch about people not doing it. In fact, my main remark was that people should 'mind their own business', so effectively I've been asking of you what you seem to be asking of me. The dog world is so incredibly full of judgement - we really should just learn to live and let live.

I think if your dog was hurt outside a shop or had it's lead taken off, you'd be pretty judgemental about those who did it, no?

In the same way that I would be judgemental a rapist attacking someone wearing a short skirt, a mugger attacking people walking out at night, a speeding car hitting someone crossing a busy road. It's never the victim's fault if someone else breaks the law. It is not illegal to tie out your dogs, so stop with the judgement.

[mantis]

There are many places to walk around here without constantly running into off leash dogs. My old standard poodle was dog and (sometimes) human aggressive, I had certain times (early morning or late at night) and places where I knew I could walk her safely.

If I walk all 4 dogs on my own I also do things different than if I have 1 or 2, or if my husband is with me.

It is definitely a situation that is different depending on where you live and what your dogs are like.

People with on lead dogs should be able to walk anywhere, or at anytime, except off lead areas of course. It annoyed the hell out of me, that I could only walk Kenny after 11pm, just so I didn't run into an irresponsible owner, who only thinks about them & their dog.