Dogs on leads, yay or nay

[Aibutousethisname]

Genuinely interested in people's opinions on this. Should dogs be on leads in public places?
Yes =yanbu
No= yabu

What a load of shit

What a load of codswallop written here by dog haters.

Learn to live and let live and you'd be a lot happier.

I don’t get what “under control” means, you cannot control an animal fully. Nobody is in this animals head and animals sometimes escape or act out of character.
I feel a lot of people aren’t reasonable with what “under control” means.

you cannot always control a human or kids that’s speak English or can communicate, how exactly is an animal meant to.

To answer your question, if it’s a large field or Forest, dog park then no lead is okay, if you don’t like dogs go where dogs aren’t, if your child doesn’t like dogs there are many child playgrounds dogs can’t go.

You’re wrong and you’re entitled.
as stated there are many child only parks. Dogs exist and need exercise. They can become aggressive and unmanageable if they don’t get to run.

@orangekiwiloot 'a deeply powerful experience for me'

To be clear, I don't hate dogs at all. And I no longer take my son on the lovely woodland walks right near us because of the number of offlead dogs . But these are v popular, well used paths with lots of people, which I think are unsuitable for off lead dogs. If you're out on a wide beach where there is loads of space and you can see all around you, or out on a really large open field yes sure .I get that dogs should run about. Children's playparks are largely sterile, concrete areas with no wildlife or variations of season. Does my son have to miss out in that?
Not too far from me there is huge forest with wooden climbing apparatus around a mile long circular walk, clearly marked as a "dogs on lead' area. There are acres and acres of the rest of it that are ok for dogs to be off lead. Guess what happens? THAT'S why I get pissed off with attitudes like yours @Bingbangbongbash .. would you like a tally of how many times I've been told it's my / his problem? Theres one solitary mile of this huge forest put aside for kids but the dog owners can't respect it.

Theres one solitary mile of this huge forest put aside for kids but the dog owners can't respect it
They see red and lose all sense of rationality when their fur baby isn't allowed in the same places as a human child 🤷

You spoke of dog owners carrying weapons, I think it is you that has lost all sense of rationality

If you’re going to sneer about what other people find to marvel at in the world, at least quote them correctly.

I said, “seeing the joy they have at running is an incredible, powerful experience for me. I care about them deeply”

Now just because you can’t see the beauty in a creature exalting in its ability, doesn’t mean others can’t.

Oh, well if you think they’re unsuitable for offload dogs, of course they must be! No matter that the landowners / managers think it’s ok.

Dogs off lead in an area clearly marked as ‘on lead’ is entirely different. Of course they should be on lead then. But that doesn’t mean they have to be anywhere else.

It is your / his problem. It’s certainly not mine. I don’t let my dog off lead in areas they’re not allowed to be off lead, but I certainly do when it’s permitted. If it’s scary for your kid, don’t take them there. Stick to the wide beach or the really open field, like you suggested. Or, indeed, to the dog-free places, of which there are many. I can understand you must feel guilty about putting your son in a scary position, but it’s definitely not my fault - or that of the dogs you meet.

@Bingbangbongbash I'm really not sure why you are being so unpleasant to me - I haven't been to you. Yes it is my opinion that very well used, narrow paths that do not allow a long view and a wide berth are not the best place for a dog to be off it's lead. You disagree and that's fine but there is no need quite so nasty about me or my parenting. I don't feel guilty for trying to give my child a healthy outdoor pastime. As I said, I have now given up trying to give my child these nice experiences precisely because they have become traumatic for all concerned. I'm not sure that a dog would be similarly traumatisied by being on a long extendedable lead in that environment so the balance of happiness of both you / your dog and my child would be greater if such a lead were to be used on those paths.

You suggested I had ‘an attitude’ that, given the context you said it in, is not a good one. You also equated me with idiot owners that ignore lead-on rules, so I’d say you are being fairly unpleasant to me.

An extendable lead would be awful on a path a few feet wide, and they are also horribly dangerous in most situations, liable as they are to snapping or getting tangled. They are also nasty for the dogs as they can’t judge where the lead ends, so if they try to run they get jerked back. Hideous things that I will never use.

No one is suggesting you cut off your nose to spite your face - as has been repeatedly pointed out, there are plenty of open spaces you could frequent, as well as areas where dogs are banned or must be kept on leads. Where stupid owners are flouting these rules, report them.

However, suggest that law abiding owners should be restricting the movements of their dogs in places to accommodate your son is ludicrous.

Taking your suggestion to its logical next step - how wide should the path be before an off lead dog is acceptable? 6 ft? Wider? And how much sight is required? 50ft ahead? My dog likes running around the trees, rather than along the path - is he allowed off lead? Or is that a no as well, because your son might want to play in the fallen logs?

I’m sorry your son is afraid of dogs, it must be awful for him, but it really is your issue to manage - not anyone else’s. You have choices of where to go - many more options than dog owners do.

I did not at any point equate you personally with idiot dog owners and by attitude I simply meant the stance you are taking. Your snide comments about his I must feel guilty for putting my son in uncomfortable situations absolutely was personal and uncalled for I can't see any benefit in taking this further.

@Bingbangbongbash
You said: However, suggest that law abiding owners should be restricting the movements of their dogs in places to accommodate your son is ludicrous.

How about: However, suggest that law abiding owners humans should be restricting the movements of their dogs children in places to accommodate your son dog is ludicrous.

And I love dogs, for the record. As I mentioned upthread, I nearly seriously injured a dog that had been allowed to dart across a cycle path. That would have been horrific. It should have been on a lead.

I completely agree that people shouldn’t be restricted to accommodate dogs. I have absolutely no issue with sharing space with anyone and I’m not for one second suggesting that people should change their behaviour to accommodate dogs. But if someone is scared, then the reasonable adjustment is for the scared person to avoid the thing that makes them scared, not that all dogs should be restricted in case they happen upon the scared person.

It would have been horrific if you’d hit that dog, but without knowing more about the circumstances, it’s hard to know if there is blame on either side. I doubt we’d be having the same discussion about a toddler darting across a cycle lane - I’m pretty sure there would be a lot of chat about how these things happen, riding defensively etc. If it was a cycle lane next to a road, where dogs are legally supposed to be on leads, well yes, clearly it’s the owner’s fault. But a cycle path through a wood that’s a shared space? It could be that you were riding too fast for the situation. Impossible to tell.

You absolutely did equate me with them, when you wrote this:

“Not too far from me there is huge forest with wooden climbing apparatus around a mile long circular walk, clearly marked as a "dogs on lead' area. There are acres and acres of the rest of it that are ok for dogs to be off lead. Guess what happens? THAT'S why I get pissed off with attitudes like yours @Bingbangbongbash .. would you like a tally of how many times I've been told it's my / his problem? Theres one solitary mile of this huge forest put aside for kids but the dog owners can't respect it.”

I do respect on-lead areas and do not allow my dog into places that are dog free. I also challenge other owners who flout the rules. None of this changes the fact that you are responsible for your son’s well-being, not anyone else. I don’t agree that his welfare trumps that of my dog. I’m not one of the people who believes humans are more important than other creatures on the Earth.

Ok well I am. Absolutely one hundred percent. So there we stand. Enough now.

Enough now? 🤣 DFO

Trouble is there really isn't anywhere in nature for kids to go that is safe, even places that should be. Dog owners ignore the law about beaches. Forests and heath lands no go. Parks outside of the fenced kids area no go. So not really sure where these natural dog free places are. Not to mention pubs, cafes and shops as well as buses allowing any dog not just assistance dogs and seems to me dogs have a lot more freedom than children and adults who are phobic.

Enough now = I’m wrong not don’t want to admit it

Jesus even some schools have dogs now! Luckily my head doesn't like them but I could see it happen in future. I think I'd leave although I love my school and job.

@SquirrelFeed no, just not going to continue to "debate" with someone when we clearly are not going to change each others' minds. @Boomboom22 makes an excellent point by the way.

As is pointed out on all these tedious threads, dogs being allowed in cafes and shops is a business decision - much like kids in pubs. Some people don’t like it, but more people do, so the owners reflect the wants of their customers.

Dog owners who ignore the rules about where dogs are allowed and when they should be on leads are arseholes, and I don’t see that they would be any better if there were more restrictions. All dogs shouldn’t be punished for the actions of this minority any more that they should be restricted because of a few allergic or fearful kids.

Yes, because they have been proven to help children with anxiety and social skills as well as encouraging nervous readers. Animals in schools are a fantastic initiative.