Frustrated at lack of good off lead dog walks

[familyconflict]

I’m feeling so frustrated at restrictions being placed on free spaces for dogs. Trying to move and find a place with good access to walks in the South.

I have owned dogs for many years. Have excellent control, responsible owner, leads near livestock, pick up poo etc.

On a walk - for the majority of time, I want my dogs to run free. They are a breed that need to. It is not ‘dog friendly’ to say dogs on leads. It is the same as saying kids can only walk not run. It isn’t fair and doesn’t work. Dogs need to run and that is part of the joy of walking them. ( I have kids BTW)

I live near a town with very low ratio of square meters of green space per person. Thought I had found a location on the outskirts with good walks but the National Trust who own a small bit and council have decided that the main bit of accessible greenery ( that lots of people use) is going to have a few grazing livestock on for “wildflowers/eco” reasons. All going through and sign are going up demanding dogs will need to be on 2 m leads.

It is making me angry so I am trying to find info or a database with details of good spaces, free of restrictions. Just wondered if anyone is aware of anything online?

Safety.

Saftery of humans and safety of dogs.

I'm sick to death of my dogs being attacked by off lead dogs that owners have no control over.

9 years ago my puppy DIED because we were in a park with a dog trainer learning recall.
A dog decided to attack her. She was terrified and ran for her life, straight out of the park and into traffic.

If the vicious dog was on a lead it wouldn't have happened.

If my dog was on a lead she may not have been crushed by a car.

I haven't let any of my dogs off lead since.

Of the 3 dogs I have now 2 of them have been attacked, one requiring stitches. The other requiring 4 nights in hospital and a 2k vet bill.

Those are just the major incidents.

We have montly occurances of people shouting 'hes friendly!!' as their dogs circle ours.l, growling and intimidating.

There's too many idiots that have zero control over their dogs so the only solution is to ban dogs off lead in public.

There are plenty of dog fields these days.
If you don't want to pay to free roam don't get a dog.

The thing is you're never going to force irresponsible people to train their dogs. You're never going to force everyone to practice perfect recall. You're never going to be able to weed out the dangerous dogs from the friendly ones (or make the owners of dangerous dogs care)

It's just impossible but it is possible to ban dogs being off lead and that solves all those issues.

Dogs can have fantastic on lead walks and if you think your dog can't live without being off lead you need to do more intelligence/scent work with them because that's a great way to wear them out to.

And if there was a ban then I'm sure alot more fields would open up with better facilities and more interactive activities in them!

You could do private agility.

@Soontobe60 nothing about the lives of domesticated dogs is particularly natural if you're going to go down that road though.

Living in homes, wearing collars, riding in cars, eating dried food - none of that is remotely natural.

Dogs can have fantastic on lead walks and if you think your dog can't live without being off lead you need to do more intelligence/scent work with them because that's a great way to wear them out to.

I agree that on-lead walks can be fantastic but I totally disagree that all dogs can be truly fulfilled with a lifetime of being stuck on a lead attached to a human.

Dogs should be able to run and be free, as long as it's safe for them to do so. Being stuck in a tiny field is not running free.

Dogs are domesticated.

They're not wild animals anymore.

It's not like taking a wolf from a forest and putting it on a lead.

And not all dogs are border collies with huge masses of energy.

Most dogs are happy with lead walks round thw streets and parks.

If you have a dog like a collie it should be working on a farm etc...

People get the wrong breeds of dogs for domestic family life

Exactly. Being on a lead is an extention of being domesticated into human society.

@Pifo they may be domesticated but that doesn't mean they no longer need to run, sniff, explore and fulfil their natural instincts.

I totally disagree that most dogs are "happy with lead walks around the streets" - they may adjust and tolerate it because they don't know any different or don't have a choice, but it must be a pretty shit life for them.

I do agree that people should get dogs that suit their lifestyles but that doesn't mean getting a dog that you just stick on a lead and walk along pavements for 15 years.

Being on a lead is an extention of being domesticated into human society.

Yes, where necessary for safety. It's not something they should be subject to every single day of their lives with no option to ever run free. How bloody depressing.

I see the joy in my dogs' face when he's swimming in the sea, zooming with his friends and running around getting filthy - I think it's really shit that people are willing to restrict their dogs lives to the extent that they're stuck on a lead every time they leave their homes.

My dog was running down the beach 3 days ago! With me, on a lead!

@Pifo it's not the same thing though, is it?

I totally understand that some dogs aren't safe off the lead, but if yours are, I don't understand why you would choose to restrict their life even more than necessary.

Unfortunately the UK is such a small country with such limited space now its probably inevitable that it will be against the law to have dogs off the lead in the future.

Feckless owners and out of control dogs have played a very large part in this.

It's sad for dogs but it's becoming a serious public safety issue and owners can't be trusted to do the right thing anymore. How many people and dogs have to be killed to make the point?

Unfortunately the happiness of the dogs themselves is not the most important issue now.

No human could run the speed my little terrier likes to run about at. Can't imagine not seeing the joy that comes with that. Dogs also like to weave/zig zag/stop and sniff then dart off again. None of that can be done on a short lead

If I’d had a dog that had been run over purely because it was offlead and ran under a car I think any future dog would be on a longline as it’s a traumatic experience that I would not be willing to repeat .

The question is, are you willing to risk your terrier's safety and possibly life for that freedom?

It's a genuine concern a lot of dog owners have just taking their dogs out for a walk now. Only yesterday another dog was killed near us by an out of control dog. The dog has been siezed by the police and will likely be PTS. Owners got into a fight and ABH charges being brought.

This is not an uncommon scenario unfortunately.

Using a long-line isn't the same as keeping a dog restricted by a short lead, though. They're two different things.

A lead won't prevent an out-of-control dog from attacking yours. In fact, you could argue that it makes them even more vulnerable as they're unable to run away.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5275377-our-dog-was-killed

This is a very sad thread that demonstrates the need for all dogs on leads. This isn't a one off, search dog attacks on MN and there are so many threads sadly.

Its a necessary requirement for public safety now sadly.

But the attacking dog in question was on a lead and still killed the other dog

I agree with this.

Not if the other dog is on a lead. Then the owner has taken reasonable steps to control the animal and has a fighting chance to get the dog under control.

You can't just say it won't work so we'll do nothing . It's gone way beyond that point now.

But in the thread you linked, the Rottweiler that attacked the OP's dog was on a lead and still got free to attack and kill another on-lead dog.

Leads aren't this magic preventative people seem to think - they break, people lose their grip, dogs are strong, or dogs greet each other on leads and attacks break out.

What you need is for dogs to be under control - that doesn't equate to them being on a lead, as that thread quite clearly shows!

I live in the crowded SE and there are plenty of places well-behaved dogs can roam free around here. Perhaps if you say where you are posters can give suggestions of places you might not have heard of.

I wish more places did not allow dogs to be off lead. Walking through a lovely little wooded area last week, group of dog walkers ahead chatting. One dog, terrier type, comes running up to me enthusiastically, jumps up and plants its muddy paws on my clean trousers. I shouted 'get down' and an altercation with the owner followed. His final words were 'you shouldn't go where dogs are' - totally ridiculous.

Thanks for the link.
Rottweilers need to be put into the same category as Pitbull type dogs, i.e banned.

I have experienced similar. Fog people are extremely prone to becoming entitled, feeling as if the needs and wants of their pet trumps those of other humans.