People walking cats and rabbits on leads in parks

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Utter fools. Do they not like their pets?

I've come across this at least 4 times now - people (all different!) walking cats and, in one case, a rabbit, on a lead.

In all cases, these are parks where dogs are allowed off lead and the vast majority are off lead. Including everything from ex-racing greyhounds to terriers.

I spoke to rabbit woman and pointed out the dangers. She said she'd just pick the rabbit up - while seemingly failing to account for the fact greyhounds can travel at 40mph and jump higher than she could possibly lift the rabbit.

Yesterday I saw this on-lead cat before my own dog did (a small miracle - from a distance I thought it was a puppy), and warned them my dog wasn't cat friendly. They then decided to stop sitting down in the park and instead FOLLOW US through the park.

Presumably when it goes wrong they'll be whining that the dog was out of control - but presumably they'd also be whining if they wandered out blindfolded onto a 70mph road and got run over. It's asking for trouble.

I'm not convinced cats or rabbits enjoy being walked - and surely the much safer / more pragmatic option would be to walk them somewhere where dogs aren't allowed to be off lead?

Let's pray this doesn't catch on as a trend

Ah, I thought you were talking about me doing my bit in pps against discriminatory language and cruelty against wildlife - I don't apologise for 'judging or policing' aka standing up against that. I wasn't talking about your PA emoji use at me again, rather your pps, some of which have been deleted. It would be good to stick to the discussion, not the personal.

My 5 year old would be well up for this. She asked for a parrot for her birthday this morning so she could take it for a walk on a lead

If owners want a dog that is safe to let off lead they should choose a breed such as cookies or spaniels and avoid high prey drive breeds which are not suitable for letting off lead in urban areas
Um, spaniels are hunting dogs bred to flush out game....
They are a biddable breed so I would argue easier to control than say, a terrier but they are not a breed you would expect to have a low prey drive.
In fact, there are very few low prey drive breeds and I would go so far as to argue that most of the breeds reputed to be ‘low prey drive’ are that way because their conformation means they have poor stamina eg shih tzu, pugs.

Some breeds by their nature are very difficult, if not impossible to control around small furries. Another poster who suggested it was possible has a border collie and you have collies and spaniels. Two incredibly biddable handler focussed breeds. I would bet you would both struggle if you had say, a lurcher of working lines or a Patterdale or Jack Russell terrier.

Well surely the obvious solution is not to get a breed which is difficult to control around small animals (Eg: a working lurcher, Patterdale or Jack Russell) if you don’t have private, enclosed land on which to exercise it off-lead? Certainly if your only option for off-lead exercise is a public park it seems irresponsible to get such a breed as even if you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a cat or rabbit on the lead at a park many people may have small, toy dog breeds which could also be at risk from dogs with a high prey breed. Similarly many parks are likely to have ducks, squirrels etc and even if a dog chasing a squirrel isn’t necessarily dangerous it is a nuisance if other people are trying to enjoy time at the park and don’t want a dog running over their picnic, knocking over their toddlers in pursuit of the squirrel etc.

Dog owners have a responsibility to consider the needs of different breeds before committing to a dog and if they don’t have the resources available to provide a dog breed with enough safe enrichment and exercise without putting wildlife, pets or the public at risk they should look at an alternative breed. Of course no dog is 100% predictable and there is always a small risk but dog owners should be making sure that risk is minimal and that starts by getting a breed suitable for your surroundings.

That was to Veterinari

@Greenrubber

I don't actually agree with keeping any pets! I do agree however that pets especially dogs have a place in our society! Working dogs and emotional support animals etc

But I think too many people want to have them and unfortunately not enough of these people are willing to put the effort in to looking after them properly
There are so many unwanted animals yet the breeders are still able to sell dogs for a rediculous price because every one wants a specific dog even if it means they have health issues!
I get why so many people don't rehome the unwanted ones I know it's a bit of a gamble especially with small children etc but why do so many people think owning an animal is a good idea?

If you don't have the time, money or space for an animal don't get a pet

This isn’t that relevant to the thread but I do agree that the number of people who have pets is higher than the number of people who really have the knowledge and lifestyle to properly meet their pet’s needs and this is a real animal welfare issue. But people will always act selfishly and there are lots of good owners around too/people do love their animals and do their best to look after them.

Agreed hence the suggestion of using a lead!
That brings its own issues.
Leads mean dogs cannot greet other dogs properly increasing the risk of leash aggression/fights.
They can’t play with another dog on lead.
They can’t play fetch on a lead.
The lead means less exercise; loose dogs usually cover far more ground than they would on lead.
Unless the dog has very poor recall, is dog dog aggressive or human aggressive I would argue that all dogs require time off lead.

@Marmite27

My 5 year old would be well up for this. She asked for a parrot for her birthday this morning so she could take it for a walk on a lead

Not the same, but we have family and friends in the Peak District - a macaw free-flies there.

@MrsMackesy

Ah, I thought you were talking about me doing my bit in pps against discriminatory language and cruelty against wildlife - I don't apologise for 'judging or policing' aka standing up against that. I wasn't talking about your PA emoji use at me again, rather your pps, some of which have been deleted. It would be good to stick to the discussion, not the personal.

Then why did you make the comment That face again.

It's unnecessary.
Can't you just stick to the topic at hand and stop derailing?

When people told me that their dog wasn't cat friendly, I explained my cat was fine with dogs but we wouldn't be walking too close to them anyway.

I wouldn't have taken my cat within touching distance of their or any other dog but it was up to them to manage their pet that they had chosen to take out.

At the time I was surprised at how annoyed some dog owners were that our cat had the nerve to do exactly what they were doing and go for a walk.

My dog isn't reliable so isn't off lead in public. I don't understand why so many dog owners believe that their dogs have some right to roam around regardless of their behavior.

My cat and dog were best friends, and she used to follow us when we went for a walk. There were fields at the end of our road where dogs were always off lead. I absolutely hated it even though it was adorable. I was terrified a dog would chase or hurt her so I always had to try and catch her still holding the dog lead in one hand and take her home and lock her in. I just couldnt take the risk or bear the thought of anything happening to her. People are stupid. Cats roam ffs they dont need walking!

@BigWolfLittleWolf

Agreed hence the suggestion of using a lead! That brings its own issues. Leads mean dogs cannot greet other dogs properly increasing the risk of leash aggression/fights. They can’t play with another dog on lead. They can’t play fetch on a lead. The lead means less exercise; loose dogs usually cover far more ground than they would on lead. Unless the dog has very poor recall, is dog dog aggressive or human aggressive I would argue that all dogs require time off lead.

Seriously? All issues that can be sorted with a sensible intelligent caring owner.

Veterinari

Can someone explain why so few people use long lines? I agree that it’s unfair on a dog to spend its whole life on a short lead and this would prevent them getting enough exercise, but why can’t dogs with poor recall be kept on 15m long lines? I always have my dog on one (holding the end or trailing) and if he was off lead I wouldn’t want him much more than 15m away anyway. That way dogs can run and have freedom to sniff but can easily be reeled in/stopped if they ignore you calling them or start to approach another dog/cat/chase wildlife. I hardly ever see people using them and I think they are a great tool and most dogs should be on them-what is the reason. Is it that they are not practical in parks (I walk in countryside).

@MrsMackesy

Veterinari

That'll be a no then Sigh

Seriously? All issues that can be sorted with a sensible intelligent caring owner

Unlike you to be quite so rude!

There is stacks and stacks of literature about how leads hamper normal dog communication.

Leash reactivity is very much a thing, there are many dogs that are very reactive on lead and absolutely fine off.
I’m sure the vast majority of them have perfectly nice, ‘sensible, intelligent and caring’ owners too..

And how do they play with another dog on lead exactly?
Or play fetch?
A longline wouldn’t stretch to the distance my dog typically runs after her ball.
Nor would it stretch to the distance she covers when she finds a dog (very rare occurance) she wants to play with and if it did, it would get in the way.
I’m intrigued as to how a ‘sensible, intelligent and caring owner’ would sort this issue?

And for many dogs it does mean less exercise.
On lead my dog is next to me at a similar sort of pace walking in a rough straight line.
Off leash she is running a lot of the way, up and down hills, off exploring one place then another, there is no doubt she covers more ground off lead than on.

@PollyRoulson

Please do explain how you would play fetch on a lead, solve lead reactivity etc.

After all I assume you're 'intelligent and caring' ?

I have plenty of experience of handling cats lashing out hence my confidence. Lots of rescue cats who hate visiting the vets for example.
Not in the situation when I was taking this cat for a walk but then I wouldn't be taking a reactive cat for a walk would I?! Risk benefit analysis says this cat would benefit from an on-lead walk.

@Sparklfairy

My cat and dog were best friends, and she used to follow us when we went for a walk. There were fields at the end of our road where dogs were always off lead. I absolutely hated it even though it was adorable. I was terrified a dog would chase or hurt her so I always had to try and catch her still holding the dog lead in one hand and take her home and lock her in. I just couldnt take the risk or bear the thought of anything happening to her. People are stupid. Cats roam ffs they dont need walking!

Except sometimes yes .... amazingly.... they do benefit. It's not a one size fits all issue.

I used to ride as a teenager and dogs off lead around horses can also be problematic.
Often considerable distances from their owners.
It was different in as much as the dogs are at much higher risk but there is the same level of entitlement about their dogs being off lead regardless of them being trained enough.

Also even if you do train all of those things it does not avoid the considerable stress, heath and welfare issues that rabbits, and potentially some cats may face when being lead-walked.

Which was the point of this thread.

And which a surprising number of posters are keen to ignore in order to push their 'dogs on leads' agenda

Playing fetch trailing a long line makes it much easier to grab the dog if they start to run towards something else and ignore you. It s still not foolproof but makes it much easier. I let go of the end of the long line, throw the ball for my dog and he runs after it (about 30m, so the end of the long line is 15 m/ a few strides away from me and easier to grab than if the dog was off lead 30m away). If you can’t manage that of control your dog in a public field, hire a private field.

Why is everyone being so snidey?

I could answer each point but not sure you really want to know my opinion tbh.

I am off to a more positive environment

@MiddlesexGirl

I have plenty of experience of handling cats lashing out hence my confidence. Lots of rescue cats who hate visiting the vets for example. Not in the situation when I was taking this cat for a walk but then I wouldn't be taking a reactive cat for a walk would I?! Risk benefit analysis says this cat would benefit from an on-lead walk.

I don't know many cats that are non-reactive to passing closely bear to strange dogs/children running/noises/bbqs etc whilst their only escape mechanism is cut off

And even if a cat were non-reactive I wouldn't assume that the situation the OP describes is safe or non stressful

@PollyRoulson

Why is everyone being so snidey?

I could answer each point but not sure you really want to know my opinion tbh.

I am off to a more positive environment

You mean one where people don't insinuate other posters are 'unintelligent and uncaring' ?