Dogs off leads everywhere!

[Peterbear]

Did dogs used to just be on leads more or am I just getting old and intolerant,? Literally everywhere we go for a walk, outdoor swim , park,cafe the place is swarming with dogs off leads. Great if the owner is 'switched on' and aware but really bloody horrible to be licked/sniffed/trampled on/food wrecked if you really don't like them and owner just oblivious. It seems standard now to not have them on a lead.Anyone know why?
If one more person says 'oh they're friendly' I honestly think I will trample on their picnic/ lick their face/sniff their genital s and say 'on well so am I' .Rant over.really pisses me off though.

Dogs used to have more freedom.

My granny had a dog, Old Nick, years ago who would take himself off for the day and come home for dinner. People used to say, “Oh, I saw Old Nick up the park” etc - can you imagine that happening today?!

Dogs had more freedom many many moons ago. My dd and I take both our dogs out where there is hardly anyone. The younger 1 can be off lead and come back. Other 1 would run off so I have a long lead for him.

I hate dogs off leads. I think many people became dog owners during lockdown and don’t really know how to train dogs. You see them futilely calling their dog back and the dog just ignores them. I saw a female jogger in the park being chased by a couples two dogs and even when they eventually returned to their owners, the owners stood talking for ages before finally putting their leads on.

Live and let live

As a dog walker I pick up the debris from the picnicers and BBQs and drinkers every morning- 365 days a year- rain and shine. Without us you would probably be sitting in a field of detritus.

My dog does the walk 365 days a year- very occasionally on a sunny day there are people sitting on the grass.

Everyone has a right to use the park- not just fair weather visitors.

I don’t think I’ve noticed more dogs off leads generally but I’ve definitely noticed an increase in badly trained dogs off leads. There are a lot of lockdown puppies in my area and the owners have no control of them and just stand there pathetically calling the dogs name while the dog ignores them and jumps all over my children / picnic / chases a jogger etc.

I have noticed that dogs seem to approach/jump up at us/get in the children’s faces more than they used to. Great that the owners don’t think they’ll bite but I don’t want to get muddy paws or a slobbery mouth on me.

At the beach recently there were so many dogs, and many badly behaved: running through picnics, jumping up at children, one dozing man had his ear licked by a random spaniel. His face was something to behold!

And the owners 'oh, sorry, but don't worry he's very friendly' 'sorry, she'd just excited' etc. And the man bellowing his dogs name constantly for 45 minutes as it refused to come back and he refused to put it on a lead 'Nelly, Nelly, Nelly'

Train your dog and / or keep it on a lead in busy areas.

There are far more dogs nowadays than there were 30 years ago, so we notice the poorly trained furbabies simply because there are more of them and more owners who do fuck all about their dogs because it’s no big deal in their eyes.

Live and let live

OP and a lot of us would prefer to live without other people’s badly behaved animals coming up to us, our children and our picnics thank you.

And there are no medals for using a public space on bad weather, what a bizarre attitude to have.

@AnneLovesGilbert

Live and let live

OP and a lot of us would prefer to live without other people’s badly behaved animals coming up to us, our children and our picnics thank you.

And there are no medals for using a public space on bad weather, what a bizarre attitude to have.

A response worthy of a fair weather user/litterer

People who put nothing into maintaining the park but expect it to be perfect when they arrive for that hour a year and moan at the regulars

A recent example. A group of women standing next to a bench moaning there was no room to sit and people should move on. Yes the chap with the walking frame has been on the bench for 2 hours as he is every day-we all stop for a chat with him- sorry that means you cant sit down with your Starbucks.

I think the way people think of their dogs has changed. A lot of people I know expect that because they find their dog's antics adorable and are happy to be jumped at with muddy paws etc then everyone else should too. These people would not dream of restricting their dog's freedom by putting it on a lead- even if it has no recall or social skills. Their thinking seems to be that because their dog is small/cuddly/cute and won't savage anyone they don't need to control it.

I say this as the owner of a rescue dog who is cute and cuddly with us, but scared of strangers and came to us very badly socialised and with no recall. This is why he is on a lead when we are in public. We hire a private field for him to stretch his legs/do recall training and arrange meet-ups with doggy friends (and owners who know and understand what we are doing) to work on his socialisation.

A response worthy of a fair weather user/litterer

You don’t really believe that people who use a public area more frequently than others have a right to let their poorly trained dogs to jump up/eat their picnics/etc? That’s not how public spaces work - you don’t get brownie points that you can redeem against your dog’s rubbish behaviour.

“ If one more person says 'oh they're friendly' I honestly think I will trample on their picnic/ lick their face/sniff their genital s and say 'on well so am I'‘

This made me smile. Thanks, OP, I can totally relate (and get very nervous about dogs off leads who come jump at my toddlers). Maybe I’ll adopt this response. :-)

@MaMelon

A response worthy of a fair weather user/litterer

You don’t really believe that people who use a public area more frequently than others have a right to let their poorly trained dogs to jump up/eat their picnics/etc? That’s not how public spaces work - you don’t get brownie points that you can redeem against your dog’s rubbish behaviour.

Saved me typing that out. Thanking you.

@MaMelon

A response worthy of a fair weather user/litterer

You don’t really believe that people who use a public area more frequently than others have a right to let their poorly trained dogs to jump up/eat their picnics/etc? That’s not how public spaces work - you don’t get brownie points that you can redeem against your dog’s rubbish behaviour.

My dog doesn't have rubbish behaviour. I can honestly say that he is 100 % off the lead and has never gone to a group people. So why should he be on lead as the OP wants?

My dog is frequently grabbed by people who want a selfie which is very annoying.

Dogs go up to people because they are curious. The people are in their usual space and they want to know why. Screaming and shouting is the worst re-action but seemingly the most common one.

My dog has no interest in picnics- although the entire red velvet cake smeared all over the grass next to the smouldering BBQ last week was getting a lot of doggie interest. My last dog did love the dominos pizza boxes.

I absolutely love dogs but last week a dog excitedly jumped up on me and got mud all down my dress (he or she had been in the river) the owner just mumbled sorry and walked off! I never blame the dogs but some owners are just clueless aren’t they!

Its the other way round sometimes too.
I took ds 7 to the local woods this morning and saw a beautiful group of 6 huskies and they were all on leads.I assumed that all dogs would be off lead in woodland.

Yes dog owners are more entitled about the precious pooches .

@FogHornInTheAttic

Its the other way round sometimes too. I took ds 7 to the local woods this morning and saw a beautiful group of 6 huskies and they were all on leads.I assumed that all dogs would be off lead in woodland.

Was the owner on a sledge?

If you read the OP really carefully @Simbacatisback you'll notice she's directing her irritation at dog owners who allow their doggos to lick/sniff/trample on/wreck food. At no point did she say all dogs should be on leads all of the time.

I'm with her - I don't want dogs doing any of those things to me (and I pick up litter. Hell, I even organise the local litter picks. Go me.)

Dogs off leads was far more common when I was a kid in the 70s. Dogs took themselves for a walk! Our Collie used to meet me from school, he would be outside the school gate.

And I’m with pp, regular dog walkers probably take far more care of parks and public areas as they use them all year round. I get far more angry with litter bugs (and screaming kids) than friendly dogs.

Oh good - another thread full of anti dog vitriol to go with the other million.

Mine is usually off lead along the river near our house. I only put his lead back on if we see another dog on lead (just in case) or yes, a picnic or something. His recall is excellent but you can never be too careful! We've never had an incident where hes annoyed anyone.

Why? Because hes a spaniel, he needs to run/swim/sniff/explore, I feel it would be cruel to just drag him up and down the pavements on his lead all the time.

Dogs go up to people because they are curious.
Good dog owners don’t allow this. Curiosity doesn’t mean anyone should allow an animal to intrude in their personal space. You are supposed to have your dog under control at all times and not being able to easily stop and redirect your dog isn’t under control. It’s not just about consideration for others it’s about understanding allergies, phobias etc. I’ve seen service dogs being hassled by awfully behaved off lead dogs, it’s not ok!
I am a dog owner too, and he is never off lead in a public setting because he doesn’t need to be.

More dogs in general and the dog population explosion means disproportionate numbers of young dogs. I’m not THAT old and I remember dogs running about by themselves occasionally. My mums childhood dog didn’t have a lead and was never taken for a walk. He was let out into the street and came back when he was ready. It was normal at the time (1950s northern mining town).