to ask if dogs should be on a lead or not in public places?

[GospelTruth]

Following on from a recent thread about dogs snatching food & biting very young children in public places, should it be mandatory for all dogs to be on leads in public places, it's a yes from me. Who could argue otherwise?

I am absolutely terrified of dogs, but i still think you are being unreasonable.

Yes to leads on pavements/ near childrens play areas (but not the whole park) and anywhere that is say a designated picnic area. and some dog free beaches/ sections of beach.

It is shame that some dog owners ruin it for others/dog phobics.

A designated enclosed area for dogs is a great idea, I can't let my 3 year old nephew run in our local park because of dogs mess which is just about everywhere, in fact this is the case in most parks sadly. Sounds like Brisbane has the right idea.

What about muzzling your dogs instead, would stop them from biting people and hurting other dogs, I'd be happy to walk pass a rottweiler if it was muzzled.

What Doin & Valhalla said.

Blackeyesusan - it's so nice to read that from someone who isn't a dog lover :)

Parents do need to take more responsibility for their children and not allowed them to go running up to dogs & they need to teach them to ASK before touching the dog.

I loved being in places in Europe where they are so much more 'dog friendly' and they are taken in to shopping malls & the like :)

GP = what a twattish comment.

Seeing as last night another poster called me patronising but didn't reply to my question as to where I'd been so when she returned ti the thread I might as well be patronising. Give a dog a bad name and hang him and all that...

GospelTruth, if you knew anything about dogs you'd know why muzzling of all dogs is not only a very unnecessary and unacceptable, even cruel practice, but also why it can be counter-productive.

You come from the viewpoint of one who is scared of dogs, if I recall your comments on the other thread correctly. You therefore desire to impose draconian legislation upon an entire community of millions baseed largely on your (possibly irratonal) fear. That's not how it works in democratic society... or at least it's not how it should work, although the hideous monster that is BSL has gone a long way to counteract that basic premise.

I'm shit-scared of water. And I know that it can be dangerous, I've lost family members to drowning.

I do not however desire to have all toddlers on reins when near any form of water as you would leash a dog, all park ponds covered as you would muzzle a dog or all taps sealed off.... and the risk to you from the water in your tap is pretty much equivilant to the risk to you from the vast majority of dogs.

You Know what I wrote LONG post in response to that muzzling a dog and deleted it. I cannot believe the ridiculous statement you just came out with .Dogs be muzzled? WHY single out rottweillers?.

On that premis my son should be locked up in case he mugs an old lady, never mind that he wears a hoody but still does charitable voluntary work helping and aiding children and also elderly, shops for his elderly neighbours and cleans windows and gardens for disabled... nope lets BANG HIM UP IN CASE HE ROBS SOMEONE cos he wears a hoody.!!!

ts THAT sort of hysterical comment from GospelTruth that creates hysteria in the media.

Just looked back and seen that Chippin has put in 4 words what it take me to write a novel so basically what chippin said too!!!

dogs should be banned all together

What an insightful, intelligent remark, KnittedBreast.

Valhalla

A very balanced post from blackeyedsusan - there are some public spaces where dogs should plainly be on leads, and others where it is completely unnecessary

My fear of dogs is that they are all unpredictable, I don't wish to upset dog owners and I apologise for any comments that I have said which have offended you.I am coming from the opposite angle by letting you know what it is like to be scared of dogs and the unpleasant mess they leave around (dogs mess). When a dog comes running upto me I have no idea if it is going to bite me, it will not understand my language so it is impossible to have control over it, all I am saying is that it would be a safer environment if all dogs were on leads in public places, and have designated areas for them.

Oh FFS, if a Dutchman came running up to me I would have no idea of he were going to hurt me - I don't understand his language so it's impossible to have control over it.

Should someone muzzle him and put him on a lead?

Even if it was illegal to have a dog off the lead at all times; thedogs and owners that cause real problems would ignore this law.

Instead thousands of innocent dogs and owners would be penalised.

Most dogs and owners are sensible.

It would be a safer environment if all cars were locked up in garages - why not go and try to achieve that for a bit.

I now live in a nice area and dog mess in our local park is rare. When I lived in a rougher area there was much more dog mess in the park round the corner.

But the people who didn't clear up their dog mess are exactly the samde people who would ignore any other laws brought in by dogs. And some of them were far too scary for me to risk challenging them.

Also in public spaces, IME dogs are at much greater risk from aggressive and badly controlled dogs than people. I have only once had a dog be aggressive to me (I was alone) and its owners were yobs. But dogs I have walked have been bitten or so scared that I have lifted them up in my arms.

"Even if it was illegal to have a dog off the lead at all times; thedogs and owners that cause real problems would ignore this law."

in the town in germany where my parents live this is the law. responsible owners can getr an exemption certificate if dog and handler pass a handling and character test together. it works!

zukiecat vallhala is not attacking anyone for being frightenedof dogs , she is however defending dog owners the right to NOT have a dog muzzled because of the hysteria created by comments like gospeltruth about dogs.

I have just returned from one of the best walks ever with my lab and settled down to a cup of tea and mumsnet and ironically this is the first thread I clicked on

I walked through a local estate, beautiful oods, river, streams, childrens play area, lovely. It was fab today, lots of walkers, lots of dogs and families.

I walked through quiet sections with noone around and past the play area and down to the river. I exchanged hellos with almost everyone. Dogs greeted each other, families with children stopped to pat my dag , it was a perfect example of how we all interact with each other on a good day!

My dog was off the lead the whole time. As people approached I called her to me and she trotted by my side, she did not jump at anyone or intimidate anyone. I would have put her on the lead if anyone approached who looked scared by a dog but I had no need.
My dog is well behaved and well trained. That is my responsibility as a dog owner.

I would not like a large dog jumping at me or running through my picnic or slobbering over my DCs. I respect others as I would like to be respected BUT the public area is for all and my dog should be allowed some freedom to be off the lead as long as she is well-behaved.

I wish all our walks were as lovely as mine today!

That should be beautiful Woods not oods!

mousymouse I like the idea of a handling test and an exemption certificate. I do think though that Germans tend to be more law abiding than people in UK.

Have a friend who emigrated to live with German DP and she is now shocked at how yobs and others behave in UK with impunity - and swears that it would not happen in Germany.

Don't know if she is right; but if she is then my original point that yobs and those with dangerous dogs would ignore it, still stands.