To ask dog walkers to keep them on a lead

[HyacynthBucket]

It seems that although dogs cannot catch Covid-19, they can carry it on their fur if they pick it up from someone say sneezing. Therefore dogs need to be kept well clear of other people when out. Please dog owners, put others first, not your pet and do not allow contact between them and people. Only yesterday someone's dog bounded up to me, jumped up, and I heard the usual "He won't hurt you" from the distant owner. This sort of fatuous self-indulgence by dog owners has got to stop now PLEASE, for everyone's sake.

Why would a dog need to be on a 2 meter lead? The guidance is, 2 meters distance, a 2 meter lead doesn't mean the dog will be 2 meter from you 🤔
I can either take my dog to the old football field up the road, throw his ball for him for half an hour (where he will go near no other person or dog, because all he can think about is his ball) to knaker him out and go home, or I can walk him around the streets on a short lead, struggling to keep him 2 meters away from people, because most of the pavements here are only about a meter wide, and it will take me about 3 hours to tire him out for the day 🤔

There is a big difference between a path, a towpath, a street and an isolated or semi-isolated area.

There does need to be discretion used rather than blanket statements.

When I take my dog out, he doesn't go near people, infact it's usually people trying to call him or chase him around to pet him. So, keep away from my dog and we wont have a problem.

I keep asking my borough to do an information campaign about it but they feel it will not solve anything anyway
That's the reason that they give you, I suspect the real reasons are different.
The pet industry has a vested interest in making pet owners feel as if the pet is in some way equivalent to a child, if you look at the way the adverts are designed this is what's going on, it's all about how special the pet is how the pet enriches your life, the pets must have special food etc etc.
I think industry lobbying is what stops the government from doing the right thing and giving clear guidelines to dog owners.

I would actually urge all dog owners to stick to lead walking only at the moment. Vets are not going to be able to see your dogs for minor injuries for the time being, and most injuries occur off lead. Please bare in mind veterinary treatment may not be available.

I agree with Lazy

I live rurally and often don't even see another person on our walks, never mind get up close to them, as long as I'm walking in these spaces my dog is perfectly fine off lead. If I am road walking he is always on a lead anyway, so I don't need to be changing our dog walking habits as literally no one is affected by what we do.

But absolutely agree in busy built up areas, places with children if you don't have 100% recall you dog should be on a lead.

Keep away from my dog and we won't have a problem
But isn't the onus on you to keep your dog away from people, keep it properly restrained so that even if other people do try and call it or pet it they can't?

When I take my dog out, he doesn't go near people

This Isnt about your dog, it's about all dogs.

So that includes my dog then 🤔

When I take my dog out, he doesn't go near people, infact it's usually people trying to call him or chase him around to pet him. So, keep away from my dog and we wont have a problem.

Blimey. Better keep your dog away from those areas that happens in and keep him on a lead then.

If you don’t want a problem.

Just to add to your joy, dog lovers - in today's Times a vet in Ireland is advising that those in self-isolation should keep their animals inside with them because they may have the virus on their fur. Exceptional times, exceptional measures - but please put other people's safety first, not your pet.

But isn't the onus on you to keep your dog away from people, keep it properly restrained so that even if other people do try and call it or pet it they can't?

I wouldn't say so, considering they are the ones whistling him or chasing him around. He just runs away anyway, but yes, if people do that now I will tell them to leave him alone. I don't want their germs all over my dog if they do manage to get his attention.

Well obviously animals will be inside with their owners, I don't see any dogs here allowed to take themselves for a walk. Cats on the other hand, may be a bugger problem.

Yes I agree. I work in dom care with people that are terrified of dogs. We are still trying to get them to walk once a day but we’re not allowed out in the car now so have to stay local, and can’t take them to the usual dog free spaces. Please consider keeping your dogs on leads where possible so that we can all enjoy the spaces (and please don’t tell us to “keep them in” if they are afraid of dogs, we get enough of this already, hence usually only taking them to places that don’t allow dogs!)

Bigger, not bugger

There does need to be discretion used rather than blanket statements.
^ This. As long as shitty people don’t fuck it up we can all get through this safely and sensibly.

My view that a well trained dog with good recall is fine off the lead in an open area where no one else is even remotely nearby.... this is an extreme view?

I agree.

I have two well-trained and mature dogs. I live rurally and my dogs don't approach strangers. We're of no risk to anyone.

I don't see any dog here allowed to take themselves for a walk
Hehe, back in the 1970s if you had a dog you just let it out in the morning and told it to come back at tea time... according to Frank Skinner 🤭

Better keep your dog away from those area

So by that logic, no one should be in that area at all.

That happens everywhere I take him. Should I keep him indoors for the next 3 weeks or longer, with no walks?

UYScuti

You could well be right. I thought it was because many people in the UK feel that no government (local or national) should tell people what to do. There is ambiguity about dog 'control', parking, all the way to the interpretation on public health directives.

I constantly told how 'mean' I am when I point out the number of dead birds I find in my yard because the neighbours' cats have killed them.

I went for a walk round the block with my dog on Sunday I met a lot of people my dog could have brushed up agains. Actually she would probably met less people off the lead in the par,k.

Can we tell the massive increase of joggers to maintain social distancing and not crash into me and my dog (who is on a short lead and kept out of people's way as much as possible) / elderly walkers / each other.

The number of people jogging on a quiet road today was insane (over 20 on a small road) - no social distancing going on and not looking where they were going.

I’m out with my old Bichon off lead in the Common everyday and that’s how it will stay.
I live near a school and parents/children sometime ask to pet her but I will start to say no.
If people don’t like dogs off leads go to a dog free park.

mumoffluffs

As a regular jogger, I would suggest that it goes both ways.

I think that probably better advice to suggest that everyone should improve their situation awareness

And this applies to non-lockdown times. Just because you are out and talking to someone beside you or looking at your phone while walking (I see this A LOT) or just being blissfully in the moment, does not mean that you should not be constantly watching for others and actually allowing them to also use the pathway, particularly if you are taking up more than a fair usage of the pathway yourself.