unleashed dogs!

[ryanjay]

WHY? I was walking my neighbors lab/pit mix and after a mile or so turn corner to go home and a old dog starts trying to charge and then comes up nipping my dog.
i grabbed its head and held its collar, a car passed and the two woman just gave me a look i was yelling beep your horn(to get the owners attn hopefully) they drove off THANK god my neighbor came out grabbed the other dog and took it to its home. both are fine buit why let a dog wander around on street especially since street is fairly busy.
ok sorry for the vent its just pit mix with anything get a bad rap and this was so clearly not the pit mixes fault but thank god it went well....

 

[catsarebetter]

I don't know. I feel your pain, though. I have a "new" set of neighbors, who have boyfriends who visit frequently. And one of those boyfriends has a dog, who is possibly a purebred sheppard, but.. I'm not entirely sure about that.. it'd be a little iffy if it's a purebreed.. anyway.. I came home one day to find the guy *encouraging* the dog to chase small fuzzy animals (squirrels, who were terrified).. in a neighborhood where people walk their cats and have small fuzzy dogs, and I've even seen ferrets out there...

I don't know what gets into people's heads. You'd think if nothing else, they'd not leave them out for their own safety.

That being said, we do have people who have dogs in this neighborhood that are well behaved, are trained well, and listen. They often go out, without a leash, but they're always monitored, and not running "free" with no supervision. There are some, though, that really should have a leash. Like the ones that run loose and chase small fuzzy creatures. I told the guy if that dog ever chased one of my cats (who are indoor cats but who object and run out the door occasionally).. I'd go ballistic.

 

[sharky]

I know your feeling... I get alot of it

... I also want to know why KIDS run unleashed

 

[catsarebetter]

Originally Posted by sharky

I know your feeling... I get alot of it

... I also want to know why KIDS run unleashed

That too. Given the traffic and general craziness around here, they probably ought to keep kids on leashes too... if they won't listen, cause they're just as likely to get run over as a dog who doesn't listen.

That is, if one of them doesn't run you over in the grocery store or a restaurant in those little heelies.

Just glad everything worked out okay for the pit mix in the OP.

 

[ryanjay]

I am decent size and got to say seeing that dog sorta got to me jsut cause once it got there I didn't want a bite either. my friend I was walking the dog for is a VERY CARING guy but looks a bit rough around the edges

BUT he is SO against ANY animal abuse or fighting dogs. Just cause its pit most of the negighbors think their purebreds are better and will verbally say it... I am so gratefull to my neighbor who came to the rescue...I could have gotten a serious bite had I had to hold his collar much longer...

I would have been angry at that idiot enocuraging to chase...just setting himself up for a incident. My golden years ago was very good off leash(would drop to a sit and stay as long as you wanted...hey I was yougn I used to give the command and let him stay for a long time...sorry mickey

!!!! I thought I was some sort of super kid that my dog would do that....But point being those dogs I have no issue with...

I even saw this dog two blocks away but thought he was inside as i wsaw him cross street(and car had to stop to let him pass) and then cross back to his side. sigh thanks guys

And about kids going down the busy main street to go food shopping a kid ran straight for the road the mom was right there and grabbed him FAST

 

[catsarebetter]

Oh, gosh, well, the people that used to live in the house where the boyfriend with the dog currently visits now (maybe it's the house???).. had a passel of children. They used to let them run about in the parking lot... now, that being said, we've got a "court" and the court has about 16 townhouses in it, and really, the people here are very concious of driving in slowly, but I was pulling out of my space one day (note, I was driving at like less than five mph).. very slowly, because the children were running about, and riding their bikes, and while they weren't behind me, I wanted to be sure that I could stop if one ran out in the path of the car.. and the mother *runs* over to the child, jerks her off the edge of the sidewalk (this one was previously running about in the lot).. and says, BE CAREFUL, THESE PEOPLE AROUND HERE DRIVE WAY TOO FAST.. and then glares at me, like I'm going too fast when my car is almost at a standstill..

With this neighborhood... I'm in Northern Virginia.. in Fairfax.. my front street that my court sits on probably has like at least 10 vehicles a minute pass by. It's not even a main street, but they don't pay a bit of attention to anything except getting as quickly as they can to their destination.

I've got a friend who had a property in the middle of nowhere (still a busy street though, with fast traffic) and she let her dogs run about. She's lost .. I dunno, three or four dogs, now, to being hit on the road. She's moved, now, but the point originally was that her dogs often got into fights, and inevitably she'd be freaked out and I'd be the one that was pulling the boxer off of the tiny black fluffball... and she'd be like, oh my god, oh my god. And of course, here's Sparky, snapping at the boxers heels while I've got the boxer in a headlock... and I'm like Brenda, get Sparky, will ya???? She says, I don't know how you can do that. I'm too afraid to get in the middle. Fortunately they never bit me.

I just don't, stupidly enough, feel any fear.. usually when it would benefit me most to be afraid. I just tend to jump in the middle of things. As I just said on another thread.. I have no brain to mouth filter... guess that would apply for no brain to action filter either. :cough:

 

[yorda]

I really enjoy taking my younger dog for long walks on the beach- it is much safer than walking on the semi-rural roads near our house and she loves to splash in the water while we walk. My dog is always leashed and under control, I clean up after her, and we try to keep to ourselves. I would love to take my new dog to the beach too- swimming would be so much easier on her joints than walking on the road. It is great that the area beaches are very dog friendly. But...

So many people allow their dogs off leash and just let their dogs run up to us and have no control over them that I rarely go anymore. I am just not comfortable with a strange dog- that I have no clue about the health and temperament of- running up and getting in the face of my dog while the owner stands there with a stupid look on their face.

(And how I wish everyone that does that would read this article.)

How do they know my dog is nice, likes other dogs of the same sex, little dogs, ect? How do they know the people they let their dog run up to arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t allergic or afraid of dogs? It just seems incredibly rude and disrespectful to everyone around them- and it could ruin it for ALL the other dogs that enjoy that beach if someone ever gets bit.

 

[ryanjay]

My cousin was in sorta same neighborhood in va...mannassas i think was town. When my friend takes her swimming he takes a clothesline(lol a bit odd I know but casey(the dog) likes to go out pretty far and the jetski come close. The town I am in doesn't allow dogs on the main beach but there is another part where cops will overlook a friendly dog not causing trouble just swimming. The guy down the street with the insane chow(he lets her run on beach and chase the kids???) has been officialy kicked off thank god.

 

[catsarebetter]

Manassass is like 10 minutes from me.

That was the problem with taking my Great Dane out.. she had major issues.. well, technically she wasn't mine, but.. the "family" dog.. She didn't like children, unless they were for lunch, she didn't like small animals, or other dogs... She would lunge at them and have a fit, if they came up to us. Now, if we were just walking past, it was fine, but she was extremely territorial, so we weren't able to go places where dogs and people would just walk up to her. PetSmart was a no no. And, you know, if we'd been out and walking on a leash... if another dog ran up to her or something, or a child ran up to her, and they got bit or injured or something, that would have been my dogs fault.. since she's the one that "attacked" .. So, it was overall difficult to take her out.

 

[mygirlmidnight]

Tell me why people let their dogs run off leash and we'll both know. I think Tal would do well off leash but no way would I ever let him just out in the nieghborhood. There are some places where it is appropriate and good to let them run off leash. In the neighborhood is not one of them.

As for the guy who is training his GSD to chase small fuzzy creatures, I am convinced they think that is a machl thing to do. I think they feel inferior and that makes them feel tough for some reason.

 

[leto86]

I take Mia out offleash, but only on the property. But I have complete control over here and she does an insnat recall.
I have to keep Apollo on the leash at all times outdoors though, becuase he is aggressive, and I cannot trust him to not take after a cat or dog, or even a child.

People who let their dogs run the streets free, aren't too bright. There is a lady down the street from me, and she has a black lab mix. She's been pregnant twice this past year. (just had her second litter a couple weeks ago) and she's been hit by a car one or twice as well.
One day she'll get hit worse and won't be going home, and ssadly, thats what it will take for them to realize that maybe letting her wander is not the best thing to be doing.

 

[EnzoLeya]

I hate when people have unleashed dogs that are not well trained. If your dog is easily controlable AND is friendly to everything I don't have a problem with it being unleashed if you are around. My parents have a dog that is well mannered and will listen off leash. She is friendly and a chicken so it works out well when other animals walk by.

People should not have mean/protective animals off leash, no doubt about that!

 

[starryeyedtiger]

when i see stuff like that happen it makes me soooooooo glad i work for AC - when i see someone outside with a dog (obviously theirs) that is not on their property and just walking with their owners/etc....i write them up. we have leash laws for both cats and dogs here to prevent issues...and it really makes me mad when people think they do not have to abide by them.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

when i see stuff like that happen it makes me soooooooo glad i work for AC - when i see someone outside with a dog (obviously theirs) that is not on their property and just walking with their owners/etc....i write them up. we have leash laws for both cats and dogs here to prevent issues...and it really makes me mad when people think they do not have to abide by them.

Your laws are FAR different than small western town america...lol.. Around here the law is NONE for cats .. and dogs can be unleashed as long as they are under owner control ( ie within 3-6 ft ..)

 

[lorie d.]

We have a strict leash law in my town and the people abide by it. However, I do know that some people think it's really cruel to keep a dog leashed or in a kennel. I really don't understand that kind of thinking, because I think it's so much smarter to avoid possible issues and keep your dog safe.

 

[ryanjay]

one person told my friend your house is so small don't you feel guilty keeping her locked up while your at work? he was ready to kill. this is his baby and she gets plenty of exercise.. cats off leash are so many..and some of them are quite confident and come right up to the dogs to hiss...

 

[yorda]

When looking into the leash laws out here online I found several petitions by people in our area trying to get rid of the leash laws on our barrier islands, which are home to wild ponies, sea turtle nesting grounds and other wildlife. Their reasoning is that their dogs can't properly exercise on leash and that the law was "treating our dogs like a disease" and that "no one was sticking up for the dogs"...whatever that means.

They claim there haven't been any sea turtle nests destroyed yet, so that means the dogs wouldn't bother them...umm, because all the dogs there still have to be leashed? It just annoyed me that the people proposing changing things say that they don't think dogs that can't be controlled should be off leash either, but if there is no law you can't force people to keep those dogs on a leash or away from wild life either.

 

[catsarebetter]

The solution to that is for them to build a dog park. Dogs can and will get plenty of exercise, even at a walk, provided that the owner takes them. If they don't have as much time, put a doggie backpack on them, put a little weight in it, and it adds to the amount of exercise that the dog gets. If someone puts in a dog park, they then have a place to run free with other dogs, plenty of space and "dog friends" to play with.. and there's no excuse for the owners. Owners need to have the responsibility to *any* animal, and to those around them or other animals around them as much as possible that the animal they own/provide for comes into contact with. I mean, honestly, it's a pain in the butt sometimes, but, you know, you sort of sign on for that when you get an animal.

Take for example.. if you live in a farm area, where there's tons of space, it's not as bad for neighbors, etc, if an animal runs. Neighbors are a.) likely to be animal friendly, because they're likely to have a farm of their own and b.) not close to your house, which means less likelihood that they'll see said animal.

If you live in a townhouse community, where you effectively have no "land" of your own, you're right on top of your neighbors, all the land is "community" property, the responsibility is much different. You have to then also take responsibility for a dog that barks, which means, don't let your dog sit outside for hours and hours and barks because it's unhappy... i.e. set your inside up so that the dog can't do whatever it is you're preventing him from doing by putting him outside.. make sure it's well-trained and or on a leash, make sure that you pick up any doggie land mines when it potties.. it's a different set of responsibilities.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think it's up to each individual on how they decide to take care of their animal, and that depends, I'm sure, at least partially on how their neighbors are, and where they live and how they're brought up.. also this depends on the animals.

What I've said above is my personal opinion, and it's how I've kept my animals. That may not be right for everyone. I may not think that one person's method is right, but honestly, that's just my opinion. My dogs have always lived indoors, stayed indoors free roam while I'm at work, were well trained, and only ever went outside to potty, or for a walk or car ride or something. They never sat outside, fenced yard or no. That's just how we've always had our dogs. And from their standpoint, at least, they didn't want to be out running free, and given the option 99% of the time, would pick coming indoors with the family. (there were occasions when we had a runner that would inspire the other two to get a wild hair up their butts and go running off through the countryside, and also my keshond who thought it was great fun, and was impossible to catch when he broke free, but he was a nutjob). Now I definitely try not to let my cats roam free. Mostly because I fear for their safety, and the safety of the neighborhood teeny fourfooters. I don't want a dead pile of squirrels, bunnies, mice, rats, and other various wildlife brought to me daily. I very seriously doubt that I'd let them out even if I lived in an area where they had plenty of space and were safe from cars and annoying the neighbors. *edit* I forgot to add the disclaimer that Elisa, our last dog, Great Dane, was the exception to the above. We didn't get her as a puppy, she wasn't well-behaved, and couldn't be walked due to her many, various issues, including her insane aggression.

Anyway, the point here originally, long before I got off track.. was dogs will go after the sea turtles, and .. aren't they endangered?? I'm fairly certain even if they aren't now, they at one point used to be endangered. Those owners have a responsibility to their animals to get off their butts and exercise their dogs instead of putting other wildlife at risk because they feel it's okay to let them run free instead of taking them for a real walk. Laziness is no excuse to get rid of leash laws, imo. That being said, it is a pain in the buttocks to have a dog and have to exercise them daily. It's one of the reasons that I like cats better... they may be high maintanence, but not that kind of maintanence.

All righty, then, that's my Saturday morning novel.

 

[andrea742]

Thats my one biggest pet peeve of some pet owners!
Why have a pet just to let it roam and get any sickness or killed by another animal or car or get pregnent!!???

I never let my dogs/cats roam outdoors. I do this for their safty and the wildlife's safty as well.


If a person wants a pet thats fine, but at least take care of it for goodness sakes!!
This is what happens when some are brought up thinking pets are throw away things, they can always get a new one!

We have a so called leash law (yeah right!). But no one will do anything about the cats running wild around here

They just let them keep having babies. I have even tried getting help spaying/neutering the ferels, but got the response if you bring them in you are responsible! I have had a few of the female cats spayed and payed for it out of my paycheck.

Another thing about strays or pets running loose is someone that owns that animal expects others to watch out for it. They get angry if they get hit by a car!! What do they expect?????

I feel sooooo bad for the strays and pets that run.

 

[catsarebetter]

Well, that all being said, I have to say that I have not always been a responsible pet owner. I wasn't raised that way. My mother thinks that pets are disposable, and that they should be allowed to go in and out as they please. It took me a while to realize that this really just wasn't possible for them and for them to be safe. It's been a journey. Now I am, but I can see how someone may not be. It's definitely how I see it now, and I am very solid in my opinions of it, at least for me personally (and in this particular thread, the neighborhood guy with the dog that chases squirrels, because it affects me personally and potentially my darling four footers).. but I harbor no ill will to someone who thinks differently about it.

I have a hard time not thinking to myself "well, what did you expect" with a heartfelt sigh and feeling the pain that they're going through, but just thinking this could have been avoided.. when I see a thread about how someone's cats are in danger for whatever reason because they're outside. That doesn't mean that I don't sympathize with them, surely, my heart breaks for them and the involved four footer. I try not to judge, though, as I figure that they eventually learn through their mistakes. Unfortunate, but true, it takes making those mistakes to actually learn from them.

In any case, though, if there are leash laws, then people should be abiding by them. Regardless of whether you let your animals roam free or not, you're ultimately responsible for what they do and/or who or what they bother. Some of this is just simply that the pet owners don't care, or I think in a lot of cases, really just don't think it through.

It's a shame that you couldn't get backup help with rescuing/altering the ferals. I think the trap and release programs I've seen around here are great.