This is your Decidedly Unfriendly Reminder that if you live in the US, unless you’re on private land or a public area that EXPLICITLY says it’s ok to have your dog off-leash (i.e. A Dog Park) KEEP YOUR FUCKING DOG ON LEASH.
Reasons:
- Not everyone wants to pet your dog, esp if they’re prone to jumping. people carrying small babies or the elderly, for instance.
- when your dog is off-leash it’s harder to notice if they eat something toxic, get too close to traffic or bitten by another animal. Your dog is WAY safer on-leash.
- The local wildlife is much safe too- most dogs WERE bred to hunt, and will glady chase after dangerous and/or rabid wildlife.
- Just becuase YOUR dog is “Friendly” doesn’t mean the other dog is! Some dogs are scared, poorly socialized or just plain don’t like other dogs!
- You are also probably vastly oversetimating how “friendly” your dog actually is-running up and tackling another dog might be your trying to play, but most other dogs will take it as aggressiveness and respond as such.
- Also when your dog books it across a field in spite of you yelling she’s NOT ‘under verbal control’.
- Accidents happen and dogs get lose/yank the leash out of your hand, but if your dog hurts someone or another dog STICK AROUND AND MAKE SURE THEY’RE OK, OR GET THEM HELP.
Yours truly, The person who’s in the ER with another broken thumb because a “Totally Friendly!” labradoodle decided to run across a field and bite Charlie, and my hand got caught in the resulting dogfight. (Charlie’s upset but the Vet looked him over and it only looks like he lost some fur. Labradoodle looked ok but was carted off into a minivan before I could get so much as a ‘sorry’ from the owner. Did get the plates though.)
Signal boost.