Ok, I know I normally blog about TV (insofar as I blog at all), but today I have a burning need to express myself on the topic of leashless dogs in public. I have had my own dog for almost thirteen years, and never has she been off-leash in a public setting. She has, however, been chased and/or almost attacked by other people's leashless dogs. I've also been maimed about the stomach trying to keep her out of a fight because some moron didn't see the harm in letting an 80 lb. boxer trot around freely in their fenceless front yard. I've also had someone be hurt and/or offended when her leashless dog ran up and jumped into my dog's face and my dog snarled. In all three situations, regardless of my compliance with the law, other people put me in an uncomfortable, scary and/or potentially dangerous situation because they did not feel like the law applied to them.
Despite this, I feel like the people who do it feel like it's a victimless crime, like they're breaking some stupid technical rule that doesn't really matter. Or that they should be treated differently because their dog is well-behaved or not agressive. Plus, perhaps they feel bad, restricting the dog's movements when it so obviously wants to run free.
And yet, I think they're missing the point and making a good many unwarranted assumptions. So let's go ahead and address them, shall we?
ASSUMPTION # 1: I CAN CONTROL MY DOG.
Maybe you've taken your dog to obedience classes and he was the valedictorian. People admire your dog's impeccable training, and you feel secure in the fact that he will always do as you command. So when you're out with your leashless dog, you are absolutely certain that your complete authority over your companion will suffice to avoid any unpleasant consequences.
WHY YOU'RE PROBABLY WRONG:
Your dog is an animal, with animal instincts. The desire to please you is just one of them, and while it may be powerful, it's not the only influence he's under. As you walk through the neighborhood, you cannot control what you may encounter, because you do not control what is or is not in a public setting. This means other animals, like cats, squirrels, and other leashed dogs may be passing, plus various other humans and cars. Under any number of circumstances, even the best-trained dog can be startled into aggressive or potentially harmful behavior. (A master animal control officer was quoted in an article as saying, "Even well-trained dogs can occasionally misbehave when distracted, so keeping them under proper leash control keeps them safe also!”) He might find the sudden appearance of your neighbor's cat from under a car frightening and snap. A car speeding by might spook him. Another dog passing on a leash might exhibit behavior that makes him feel that you are being threatened. And being that his senses are so much keener than yours, there's a whole range of stimulating influences in the world you won't be able to perceive and avoid before he can. To assume your will is stronger than your dog's nature seems arrogant, at best, and dangerous, at worst.
ASSUMPTION # 2: MY DOG WOULD NEVER HURT ANYONE/ANYTHING
The most obvious consequence that we seek to avoid in imposing the leash requirement on people in public is the harm their dog might cause another if not properly controlled. People who have docile, even-tempered dogs might question the necessity of that. After all, their dogs have no history of violence towards humans or other animals. So leash laws clearly shouldn't apply to them, right?
WHY YOU'RE PROBABLY WRONG
This assumption assumes that because something has never happened, it never will. This ignores the fact that in every situation where something happens for the first time, it had never happened before. It also ignores how many pet owners have, in the past, uttered the baffled statement, "he's never done something like this before" after their dog has mauled another animal or a human being. See, for example, these articles:
So just because your dog has never been startled enough, scared enough, or roused to anger enough before, please don't assume this must mean that the animal you love is immune from these emotions, or so very uniquely human that he would never give in to violent animal instincts. Your dog is an animal, and does not reason through things like a human no matter how bright he is, and so he has the potential to react to the unexpected or unsettling with the same violence as any animal.
Also, please don't go assuming that your small dog is in no position to hurt someone. This assumes that no one can be hurt by the indirect consequences of your failure to control your animal. For instance, if your dog were startled into running in front of a car, which then crashed trying to avoid hitting him, your lapdog could nonetheless still inflict serious injury or death. And even less serious injuries are nothing to scoff at. Small teeth still hurt, and dogs have teeth designed for biting and tearing. If you've ever been bitten by a mouse (I have) or a small child (again, I have), you know that sometimes, the most painful bits can come from things in innocuous packages.
Plus, some people and animals may still find your small dog unsettling. Whether you find that reasonable or not, it's unkind to disregard someone else's discomfort when the solution is compliance with the law. (See, for example:
http://www.waterlandblog.com/2011/04/29/des-moines-animal-control-to-emphasize-leash-laws-starting-this-week/, noting that "[e]ven small, friendly dogs can be frightening when running loose, especially to young children, folks with mental or physical disabilities, other dogs or native wildlife.")
ASSUMPTION # 3: MY DOG BEING OFF-LEASH DOES NOT PUT HIM IN ANY DANGER.
One assumes that those who walk their dogs off-leash do so to promote their pets' enjoyment, that they care about their dogs and wouldn't want to see them hurt. Thus they must assume that, by allowing their dogs to run free, they aren't placing them in any additional danger. After all, with that assumption of absolute dominance and authority
WHY YOU'RE PROBABLY WRONG:
As discussed, you are probably wrong that you have complete control over your dog because your dog is a dog, not a person. He doesn't process stimuli like a human, and you cannot be completely 100% sure that there are no set of circumstances that would not provoke your dog to run where you don't want him to be. For instance, into the road in front of a car, at another animal, at a frightened human with his kicking foot ready, or at another animal who isn't friendly. So by walking your dog without a leash, you may be unintentionally exposing your beloved pet to danger.
In point of fact, a lot of people who let their dogs roam off-leash seem to operate under the assumption that it is safe to let their well-mannered dog approach other dogs who are on leashes. This ignores the fact that the leashed dog may be unfriendly, or, even if usually friendly, it may perceive your dog as threatening to itself or its owner. Your dog may unintentionally provoke or upset the other dog. And again, this puts to test your control over your dog: when your dog is snarled or snapped at, you can only hope your dog will retreat to your side when called. If you're wrong, then you have a dog you cannot control without diving into a dog fight- never a clever idea- or the person who actually did have their dog on a leash is left to the impossible task of controlling their dog AND yours.
If you're thinking that people whose dogs aren't friendly essentially shouldn't be allowed to walk their dogs in public so that your dog can safely get in the face of every passing pup, first, consider that not all dogs are properly socialized during that key time period when they develop "doggie social skills." Then consider the fact that, by assuming these dogs should be forbidden from coming out even if on a leash that you are saying your dog's right to approach every dog whether that dog or his owner likes it or not outweighs an unfriendly dog's right to be able to have fresh air and exercise EVER. And consider the fact that a leashed, properly controlled dog, even if not pleased as punch to socialize with its fellow bowwows, is no danger to others unless they go against the dog and the owner's wishes and insert themselves into the dog's vicinity uninvited.
(
NOTE: You may note how adamant I am on this. I will say, I think my dog's a lot friendlier than I give her credit for. She's played with other dogs many times quite happily, and seems especially fond of puppies and smaller dogs like pugs. But she's older now, and has been known to grumble at young whippersnappers who come rampaging towards her. And she's also protective of me, and gets nervous when a big dog runs in my direction. So to play it on the safe side, I don't walk her up, willy-nilly, to other dogs I pass in the street, and when we are approached by strange dogs and their owners, I call out, "she's not friendly." Not because, as a rule, she's not friendly, but because it's easier to call out than, "My dog is friendly for the most part, and has only snarled at another dog a few times when provoked and is not generally aggressive, but I prefer to limit her interaction to avoid playing the odds and only allow her to socialize under controlled circumstances." I am, however, looking into a Wile E. Coyote-style sign.)
CONCLUSION
There are views contrary to my own on this subject, but I will say, some of the better-formed contrary opinions still require a lot more than I suspect most off-leash dog owners want to give. For example, this article posits that an off-leash dog is all right as long as it's under consistent supervision by its owner and, if the police were to stop and ask you to call it, the dog would come back immediately.
http://kayehargreaves.com/articles/dogs-in-space And indeed, my uncle in North Carolina is something of an amateur dog whisperer. He's owned rotweilers, German Shepherds, and mastiffs, and I've never seen a single one of them step a toe out of line in public. But I rather suspect my uncle and his kind are very, very rare, and the exception to the general rule.
On the occassions where someone's off-leash pup has come careening at me and my dog as we're out walking and I've called out a request for them to reign in their dog, I would estimate that in about 8/10 such encounters, the dog didn't pay his owner any mind and kept right on running. The ensuing time it took the person to cross the distance and physically capture and restrain their dog was usually not brief, and was often enough time for me to have had to resort to picking up my 50-pound dog in my arms as she became disconcerted so that I could avoid a fracas.
So, yes, I suppose in a world where you're willing to put your money where your mouth is and spend the time it takes to make your dog a model of canine behavior, there's a possibility that this blog sells your pup short. But given that most folks can't guaranty the level of consistency suggested by the above article and in any respect, I have my doubts that even the best-trained dog is 100% unprovokable and undistractable, I think the safer default rule is still to put your dog on a leash in public. He'll always have the dog parks and the yards! He just doesn't get to claim the open roads and sidewalks, too.
In the interest of full disclosure, and my last note before I go, I would add that those restraining their dogs with a retractable leash get an "A for effort," at best, if the dog weighs more than 5 or 10 lbs. I don't mean to belittle your compliance with the law, and my interpretation is not legally binding, obviously. However, these leashes give you so little control over your pet if he has any size or strength that it's almost just an illusion. Remember, these leashes can only be "reeled in," say to pull your dog back from a potential fray or away from a wary person, if the line is slack. What are the chances, if your dog is upset or excited, that the line will be slack? And barring any ability to wind in the cord, you're stuck with whatever length was already out, which could make actually blocking the pup's movements difficult to impossible.
Not to mention how unbelievably painful it is if you try to grasp the skinny rope part of the leash and manually pull the dog in. Having done so, I can attest to the ensuing rope burns. I've once had one come apart in my hands because my dog was pulling so hard in pursuit of a fleeing duck and tried to catch the rope, and let me tell you, it was not fun.
So please read over some of the articles cited and give my articles some thought, if you like to walk your pet off-leash. I think you'll find it's not as harmless as it seems, and that it might be unintentionally stressful or unkind to those sharing the sidewalks with you.
