I love dogs. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to have shared space with an adventure seeking Beagle, a snuggly Poodle, a dopy Doberman and an entertaining Norwegian Elkhound.
Through these experiences I have learned that no matter how much I love my dog, the feeling won’t be shared by people outside my family. I know you will find this hard to believe, but some people didn’t even welcome my dog’s kisses or her friendly “howdoyado” sniff. I even had a couple friends who remained afraid of her for years. I guess bad childhood “dog experiences” will stay with you a long time.
When you live with a dog you get use to having their hair in and on everything, you don’t notice their breath and rarely think of “dog germs” when they give you a kiss. In time you even stop worrying about those inappropriate sniffs. Your dog just becomes part of the family.
This can make it hard for a dog owner to understand that their sweet, gentle, fun loving puppy “Spot” is actually bothering other people.
It is even harder to recognize that under “Spot’s” cute cuddly façade lurks an animal with instincts that need to be managed. I am no dog expert, but I do know that even the most wonderful dogs can have their moments.
This means that whenever you leave the house with “Spot”, he must be on a leash.
I have always believed that the needs of the community take precedence over the needs of the individual. For me, this means that when you go into a public space with your dog, you must make sure that you and your dog don’t interfere with the other peoples’ enjoyment of the space.
So getting to the heart of it all, my Blog has several goals.
- I am asking dog owners to respect others by keeping their dogs on a leash – BTW responsible dog ownership also includes stooping and scooping
- It is a place for me to vent when I am chased, surrounded and frightened by loose dogs in the park – perhaps I will include pictures
- It is a place for other people to share their loose dog stories
- Finally, it is my hope that this blog will draw attention to the issue so that the people responsible for by-law enforcement will step to the plate
I live in Peterborough, and stumbled upon you’re website, and I am in full agreement. I do a lot of Jogging/Biking/Walking in Jackson Park, and agree that Off Leash Dogs are a real problem. For me, the Leash Law is secondary to the issue of common courtesy. I am constantly amazed at the self centeredness of many owners, who allow their dogs to romp around off leash, completely oblivious to it’s potential impact on other people. I’m sure if these same people were to be on the receiving end of behavior they considered to be rude(like, say, if some rude bicyclist were to brush past them and their dogs, at high speeds, without ringing their bell, or giving some sort of verbal warning) they’d be pretty quick to complain about it. But they somehow don’t find it necessary to extend any common courtesy towards others with their dogs. It’s frustrating.
Keep on fighting the good fight,