I'm Becoming Afraid To Walk My Dogs

[bertie]

The uncontrollable hysteria in this thread is amazing. You need to take a deep breath, possibly a Prozac and a lay down. It's not world war three out there. This is not like walking across the Serengeti with a sirloin strapped to your back. Serious case of over reaction with a little bit of superiority complex thrown in and some double standards to finish things off.

Pretty sure the police would be more concerned about the lady walking around with a cattle prod than they would the person who's dog isn't on a lead. As has been said above, if someone hit my dog with a cattle prod they would most likely find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty shock.

If that's a pic of you in your avatar, you look like a youngish fit bloke. More capable of defending yourself & your dog than perhaps a lot of others in this thread. It can be hard to imagine being vulnerable when you haven't been put in that position a lot.

[Lhok]

One thing that is probably the best defence against a person who won't respect the off leash law is taking out your camera and taking their photo. If they get cranky state why and if they assault you well you have photos of them.

I did it the other day when a lady walked the other way while her dog was pooping. She spotted me and my husband told her to pick it up or the rangers will have a chat to her. She went back and picked it up with the bag she had been carrying.

--Lhok

[Alison03]

The uncontrollable hysteria in this thread is amazing. You need to take a deep breath, possibly a Prozac and a lay down. It's not world war three out there. This is not like walking across the Serengeti with a sirloin strapped to your back. Serious case of over reaction with a little bit of superiority complex thrown in and some double standards to finish things off.

Pretty sure the police would be more concerned about the lady walking around with a cattle prod than they would the person who's dog isn't on a lead. As has been said above, if someone hit my dog with a cattle prod they would most likely find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty shock.

RazorBlade interesting name by the way, it says a lot about your mindset.

You are the very King of double standards, you walk your dog off leash ignoring the leash law. You have the audacity to include everyone else is your "risk assessment" and then accuse others of having a superiority complex, you need to obey the leash laws like the majority of us and get off your high horse where you feel very special because you are at one with your pet.

If by chance I come across you and Toby one day and your dog (who of course will be off leash) decides to rush my dog for whatever out of this world reason, your dog will get whatever I need to use to deflect it from its target, I do not carry a cattle prod or pepper spray, I do not want to permanently harm anyones pet, all I want to be able to do is walk my dog without being menaced by off leash dogs, just seeing an off leash dog is menacing to someone who has been attacked by one, I don't care whether you accept that or not. If by chance I have to belt the crap out of Toby to persuade him to not eat my little dog, you will just have to put up with that and while we are waiting for the police to arrive, you can think what you are going to say to them about having your large dog off leash in a public area. I'm sure they will be fascinated by your explanation, but it will all be in vain because you would have broken the law by having an unleashed dog that attacked a middle aged woman and her little dog while she was having a coffee at your local cafe.

Edited September 14, 2013 by Trudy08

[Salukifan]

The uncontrollable hysteria in this thread is amazing. You need to take a deep breath, possibly a Prozac and a lay down. It's not world war three out there. This is not like walking across the Serengeti with a sirloin strapped to your back. Serious case of over reaction with a little bit of superiority complex thrown in and some double standards to finish things off.

Pretty sure the police would be more concerned about the lady walking around with a cattle prod than they would the person who's dog isn't on a lead. As has been said above, if someone hit my dog with a cattle prod they would most likely find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty shock.

So business as usual for you then. And screw everybody else, the law and whatever stands between you and doing what you like.

Pretty much what I'd expected though. You haven't listened at all - just posted making light of people's fears. Fears you'll continue to contribute to by continuing to ignore the law. Some dog owners HAVE been through World War 3 - until and unless you have seen your dog under attack, you can't have any sense of how distressing it is. If you saw your beloved dog in the mouth of a far larger one or trying to defend itself from multiple attackers, I doubt you'd be as dismissive of the long term impact it has on a dog owner.

But you're alright eh? And you've demonstrated very clearly that's where your care factor ends. You talk about superiority and yet it is you who thinks you are above the law.

Charming.

Edited September 14, 2013 by Haredown Whippets

[Alison03]

One thing that is probably the best defence against a person who won't respect the off leash law is taking out your camera and taking their photo. If they get cranky state why and if they assault you well you have photos of them.

I did it the other day when a lady walked the other way while her dog was pooping. She spotted me and my husband told her to pick it up or the rangers will have a chat to her. She went back and picked it up with the bag she had been carrying.

--Lhok

Thats a very good idea. :)

[KJJ]

for goodness sake - why is it so damn hard for some people to just do the right thing and walk their dogs on leash in areas that it is required and save 'off leash' for the areas it is allowed? It is not a matter of some people being hysterical about it, it is the law and perhaps a little empathy for others would not go astray. I also don't think it matters whether the off leash dogs are large or small - I've encountered both and neither is much fun (try controlling an on leash Dane x when a small terrier is literally hanging off it's testicles, likewise facing an aggressive Mastiff x when neither of your dogs is over 20 kg), a little sympathy and respect for other dog owners doesn't hurt and would probably help the image of all dogs and owners in our society.

[brintey]

OK will certain people in this thread stop making this all about 'my little precious tiny dog' vs everyone else's ''big, vicious, nasty, powerful dog." Offleash rushing aggressive dogs are a problem to all, regardless of the size of your on leash dog.

a friend has recently acquired a rescue chihuahua. I was walking her down the street and saw some approaching people with what I thought was a loose dog... It was dark and turned out it was on a flexilead. What was interesting was that for the first time I didn't feel any panic as I normally do with my (genuinely) large dogs. I could simply pickup Ruby the Chi with one hand and hold her above my head, leaving my legs free to kick any approaching dog and my other hand free to grab any collars should the attacker try to jump up. SImple. When you have a (genuinely) large dog... Not a medium sized at best cattle dog or border collie.... The body of the dog is longer than your kicking range or your hand-grabbing range. You cannot block your dog with your body, and you cannot pick it up. you are fair game. That is truly frightening.

a dog is a dog and responsible ownership is the same for all.

[HazyWal]

The uncontrollable hysteria in this thread is amazing. You need to take a deep breath, possibly a Prozac and a lay down. It's not world war three out there. This is not like walking across the Serengeti with a sirloin strapped to your back. Serious case of over reaction with a little bit of superiority complex thrown in and some double standards to finish things off.

Pretty sure the police would be more concerned about the lady walking around with a cattle prod than they would the person who's dog isn't on a lead. As has been said above, if someone hit my dog with a cattle prod they would most likely find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty shock.

:laugh: your attempt at humour just makes me think with every post you write it is such a true saying...you don't have to have a long neck to be a goose

[JulesP]

Ummm I couldn't pick my border collie up either or do much to protect him when he was being mauled. I did swing him behind me which meant the dog latched on to his rump and bit that instead of his throat.

[bozzieUD]

The uncontrollable hysteria in this thread is amazing. You need to take a deep breath, possibly a Prozac and a lay down. It's not world war three out there. This is not like walking across the Serengeti with a sirloin strapped to your back. Serious case of over reaction with a little bit of superiority complex thrown in and some double standards to finish things off.

Pretty sure the police would be more concerned about the lady walking around with a cattle prod than they would the person who's dog isn't on a lead. As has been said above, if someone hit my dog with a cattle prod they would most likely find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty shock.

If that's a pic of you in your avatar, you look like a youngish fit bloke. More capable of defending yourself & your dog than perhaps a lot of others in this thread. It can be hard to imagine being vulnerable when you haven't been put in that position a lot.

Exactly.

[raineth]

The uncontrollable hysteria in this thread is amazing. You need to take a deep breath, possibly a Prozac and a lay down. It's not world war three out there. This is not like walking across the Serengeti with a sirloin strapped to your back. Serious case of over reaction with a little bit of superiority complex thrown in and some double standards to finish things off.

Pretty sure the police would be more concerned about the lady walking around with a cattle prod than they would the person who's dog isn't on a lead. As has been said above, if someone hit my dog with a cattle prod they would most likely find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty shock.

Well done on ignoring all the sensible arguments against walking your dog off leash and pretending as though everyone is exaggerating.

I will outline some of those points for you again.

1. It is breaking a law.

2. People can't know from looking at you how under control your dog will be when they walk by.

3. To your argument that walking off leash is about having a connection with your dog: walking your dog on a leash doesn't mean they want to spend any less time with you, or that your relationship is somehow less.

4. You can't always predict how your dog will react in every situation, nor can you always see everything that is going on or about to go on in your environment.

5. If a dog does attack your dog you won't have a leg to stand on, because your dog should have been on lead.

My dogs have been attacked quite a few times, and I do find that frightening. Maybe you wouldn't find that frightening? But most people do and that's why people get upset at people not having their dog on leash.

FYI the only time I kicked a dog was when it was latched on to my dog's neck and I shouldn't have bothered because it did absolutely nothing. I wouldn't hit or otherwise be physical with someone's dog unless it was actually biting mine.

Personally I wish you a reactive dog at some point in your life. Having a reactive dog is a truly educational experience and will give you insight into why leash laws are so important. :) I don't say this in a nasty way, either. I just think that reactive dogs have a lot to teach us dog owners.

Edited September 14, 2013 by raineth

[fluff1234]

thank you and yep, me too!!

I got the Spray Shield online from Animalcare Australia, its citronella spray and harmless to dogs, they don't like the smell and it comes out of the can with a bit of pressure, you also don't have to be right next to the dog, it works on low to medium aggressive dogs, I've had a dog burst out of its yard and rush us, I used the spray and it stopped the dog, not sure it would stop a truly high level aggressive dog but its better than nothing and its the only legal spray deterrent in NSW.

I hope that wild looking dog stays behind the fence. Good luck :)

[fluff1234]

I wish it was legal to carry a weapon as I would walking my dog. Some of the dogs we pass when walking,frankly terrify the living s**t out of me, I am glad they are behind the fence and panic what if they got free. I am small and not too strong, my dog is a pup and I have a 5 yr old child with me.

I would happily arm myself if I could and will be buying the legal spray mentioned asap.

I do not think ANY dog regardless of how trained they are, should ever be of leash in public areas. If it is a specified off leash area, fair enough, but otherwise, if I see it, I will report it. Its dangerous and frightening.

My UK dog was the perfect boy, my jogging buddy for years and always off leash alongside me on the local meadows, where most dogs were off leash. He never ventured more than 2 feet from my side, ever!

One time he just went down the side of the cliff, he ran down and I couldnt recall him back, he had NEVER done this before, I trusted him 100%. This one time he bolted, no idea what animal he saw but ended up STUCK in thick mud at the bottom, whilst I screamed and couldnt climb down and nobody came to help us. He finally broke free and scrambled frantically back to me, where I leashed him and took him home. I would NEVER ever let my dog off unleashed again, it taught me valuable lesson..

[kayla1]

OK will certain people in this thread stop making this all about 'my little precious tiny dog' vs everyone else's ''big, vicious, nasty, powerful dog." Offleash rushing aggressive dogs are a problem to all, regardless of the size of your on leash dog.

a friend has recently acquired a rescue chihuahua. I was walking her down the street and saw some approaching people with what I thought was a loose dog... It was dark and turned out it was on a flexilead. What was interesting was that for the first time I didn't feel any panic as I normally do with my (genuinely) large dogs. I could simply pickup Ruby the Chi with one hand and hold her above my head, leaving my legs free to kick any approaching dog and my other hand free to grab any collars should the attacker try to jump up. SImple. When you have a (genuinely) large dog... Not a medium sized at best cattle dog or border collie.... The body of the dog is longer than your kicking range or your hand-grabbing range. You cannot block your dog with your body, and you cannot pick it up. you are fair game. That is truly frightening.

a dog is a dog and responsible ownership is the same for all.

Protecting a small dog is not as simple as you think. Picking up a small dog when a loose dog comes trotting over in your direction is one thing, but try doing that when a dog that truly means business comes out of nowhere with such speed and force that you don't even have time to blink before it's on top of your dog...

[coogie]

It is not illegal to carry a big metal maglight, or a walking pole or a golf umbrella. We are lucky we have quite a lot of leash free areas to choose from if we wish. I had to walk my girl after her hip surgery as part of her rehab. I only walked her round our area twice, it was frankly terrifying, and I was scared she would injure herself further , so many loose or unleashed dogs. I had not really noticed before. I too would do whatever it took to defend my dogs and make no apologies for it. Just obey the bloody law - so simple.

[BlackJaq]

Well, I think this pretty much sums it up

(...)"annoying the shit out of people just means too much to me.” (...)

“We refer to this condition as Partially Recognized Irrritating Canine Knowledge Syndrome. Owners seem to be aware on some level that they are annoying people with their off-leash animals, but fail to give a shit.” said the doctor. His clinic offers a six week treatment program.

Pratz, however, says he’s not ready to seek treatment.

ETA: Quote is from the article I posted earlier ;)

http://www.atlbanana.com/local-dog-owner-struggling-with-off-leash-addiction/

Edited September 14, 2013 by BlackJaq

[Kajirin]

To be honest I just prefer to have my dog on lead, he's friendly and sociable...but his biggest flaw is he has absolutely no concept of personal space. Nor does he understand that another dog baring it's teeth and growling at him doesn't really want to play [as he found out when the neighbour's dog came wandering over here a few weeks back]. His play style is also a bit too rough for most dogs [unless they're other Boxers]. So he's always on lead. To me having a dog on lead is normal, I don't understand the concept of having a dog off leash whilst out walking where anything can happen [especially in suburban areas]. People will generally seek him out if they want to pat him, but I don't want him annoying other people or dogs.

20 years ago knew a bloke who had well trained dogs. For years they were always by his side when he was out walking them around the suburbs. One day they saw a cat, it triggered prey drive and they gave chase. As they both crossed the road in chase [ignoring all verbal commands by their owner] they were hit by cars and both died instantly i dont' know why the cat in this instance triggered the response as I'm sure they would've seen many cats in their travels...but what ever the reason, it happened.

IMO having a dog on leash keeps them safe, as you never know when something will happen.

[Alison03]

OK will certain people in this thread stop making this all about 'my little precious tiny dog' vs everyone else's ''big, vicious, nasty, powerful dog." Offleash rushing aggressive dogs are a problem to all, regardless of the size of your on leash dog.

a friend has recently acquired a rescue chihuahua. I was walking her down the street and saw some approaching people with what I thought was a loose dog... It was dark and turned out it was on a flexilead. What was interesting was that for the first time I didn't feel any panic as I normally do with my (genuinely) large dogs. I could simply pickup Ruby the Chi with one hand and hold her above my head, leaving my legs free to kick any approaching dog and my other hand free to grab any collars should the attacker try to jump up. SImple. When you have a (genuinely) large dog... Not a medium sized at best cattle dog or border collie.... The body of the dog is longer than your kicking range or your hand-grabbing range. You cannot block your dog with your body, and you cannot pick it up. you are fair game. That is truly frightening.

a dog is a dog and responsible ownership is the same for all.

OK point taken, I am clearly the person with the small dog you may be referring too or one of them at least, I am telling my experiences from my point of view, I've never owned a large dog I've only ever been attacked by some and rushed by many. I have never been rushed by a Chihuahua or any other small dog so I wouldn't know how scary that is, small dogs don't find me as attractive as the large variety obviously as I have a whole list of those I could tell you about. Also another fact you can agree with or not, is that being attacked by a large dog is far more frightening as they can do a huge amount of damage that can and has proved to be fatal in some cases. I've yet to hear of death by Shihtzu. I'm glad to hear you didn't feel as panicky with a small dog when you saw another dog approaching, but if I made it two large off leash dogs intent on killing your little dog I can assure you that panicky feeling would return and stay for many months.

I do accept that it must be very annoying to have a small dog harass a large non reactive dog, or a reactive dog, all I can say is those small dogs must be on a suicide mission to attempt it, but i can see if the large dog tried to free itself from the annoyance it could well be blamed for whatever happens, which isn't right. My small dog doesn't appear to be as daft in the head as some of its type.

I have been told by my vet to never pick up my dog if I get attacked as that can cause the large dog to jump up, which will then have me and my dog on the floor, also some people have been badly bitten by picking up their little and medium sized dogs as the attacking dog starts biting and gets the human too. Since we were attacked by two large dogs I have started picking my dog up despite this advice, as I figure I'd rather the dog bit me than tore my dog apart in front of me.

My little tiny dog is precious to me as I'm sure your dogs are to you, and the sight of two large powerful nasty dogs (because believe me that is what they were) trying to tear her in half has left a lasting impression on me, as it would on anyone with a heartbeat, so you will have to excuse my aversion to large dogs of the off leash variety as I will excuse your aversion to little tiny precious dogs.

I am not saying and have not said that all large dogs are nasty and vicious, I have just said that some of the ones I've encountered have been, I am sure there are many sweet tempered large dogs as I'm certain there are many ill tempered spoilt little dogs that have never been disciplined.(My little dog is not one of those) However given the choice I would much rather be rushed by a Chihuahua in a bad mood than a much larger dog. Small dogs are very easy to deflect being lighter in weight, the last large dog that rushed me knocked me flat on my back.

Let us agree on one point, if all dog owners kept their dogs leashed and under control regardless of size and breed, we wouldn't be having this conversation. :)

[Rocketeer]

No, it's the relationship you build with your dog. Toby walks beside me not because I have him tied to me. He walks there because I ask him to and because he wants to. Like everything in life it's required a risk assessment. I am capable, responsible and rational enough to make that assessment and I accept the consequences of the decisions I make.

What you need to come to terms with is that just because there is no lead doesn't mean there isn't control. A dog that gets out of its yard roaming the neighbourhood is not the same as a dog going for a stroll with its owner.

Applying this logic , if i am a superb driver and have a high performance car, I should be able to drive it at any speed I deem appropriate provided I accept the consequences of my driving.

And bugger what other people want eh? Bugger the fact that I may cause concern to others who don't know me or my car or my driving.

What about the consequences of your risk assessment FOR OTHERS? Did they get any consideration?

I hope at least that you carry a leash with you and use it if requested to by oncoming dog owners.

I've never been at fault in an accident. I have aftermarket performance brakes which were quite expensive. My tyres are also up there as well. I have a good solid suspension set up. I also have a great relationship with my car.

So I think I've taken precautions. Weighed out the risk. Now it makes it more safe for me to speed??

[Alison03]

To be honest I just prefer to have my dog on lead, he's friendly and sociable...but his biggest flaw is he has absolutely no concept of personal space. Nor does he understand that another dog baring it's teeth and growling at him doesn't really want to play [as he found out when the neighbour's dog came wandering over here a few weeks back]. His play style is also a bit too rough for most dogs [unless they're other Boxers]. So he's always on lead. To me having a dog on lead is normal, I don't understand the concept of having a dog off leash whilst out walking where anything can happen [especially in suburban areas]. People will generally seek him out if they want to pat him, but I don't want him annoying other people or dogs.

20 years ago knew a bloke who had well trained dogs. For years they were always by his side when he was out walking them around the suburbs. One day they saw a cat, it triggered prey drive and they gave chase. As they both crossed the road in chase [ignoring all verbal commands by their owner] they were hit by cars and both died instantly i dont' know why the cat in this instance triggered the response as I'm sure they would've seen many cats in their travels...but what ever the reason, it happened.

IMO having a dog on leash keeps them safe, as you never know when something will happen.

Well said Noishe. Scouts a gorgeous looking dog. :)