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Two Off Leash Dog Incidents in One Day

Started 5 months ago by SJoy
Latest reply from bebecat

SJoy
Member Profile

What the heck is wrong with people? We have had two incidents just today with off leash dogs. The first, my husband was walking one of our yorkies (and the cat) and a big, white, fluffy dog right off of Lander and 38th came charging off across the street towards my husband and our animals. Though my husband was very angry he was trying to be polite as the owner was an older gentlemen. My husband told him there was a reason there was a leash law and the guy said that the leash law only applies when you are walking your dog. REALLY??? So if the dog is off the leash and charges across the street does the leash law not apply? Then, of all things the old guy kicked his own dog!
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Then tonight I was walking our other yorkie and our 7 month old pitbull and a woman came out of her driveway with her dog off the leash near Hinds and 39th. Her dog was a larger dog and stayed about 10 feet away from our dog. She called her dog and then walked back into her driveway where I couldn’t see her. The dog continued to come closer. I was so angry that I decided if she didn’t care if my leashed dog doesn’t like her off leashed dog then I guess it would be her fault. I really didn’t feel like I had anywhere to go as she abandoned her dog. So I brought my dogs closer and slowly continued on. Her dog came up to my pitbull while my yorkie was barking and squeaking and then the dogs decided they didn’t like each other and growled and wrestled for a quick moment. The owner came running out and called her dog but of course the dog didn’t listen. I yelled at her and told her that this is why there are leash laws and pulled my dogs across the street as she was trying to get her dog.
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We leash our dogs, pick up our poo and try to respect others. Why is it so difficult for others to do the same. Even though you might think your dog is a great dog and wouldn’t bite a soul, it is still a dog, with dog instincts – not people instincts. My pitbull does not care for other dogs that are off the leash to come up to him. Probably because he knows he is leashed and the other dog isn’t and he doesn’t have the “flight” option as the other dog does. People – please control your animals….

Posted 5 months ago #
JoB
Member Profile

SJOy

unfortunately, this is an everyday occurrence in my world.

somebody is going to get hurt..
but i fear it will be me
the responsible owner whose dogs are always leashed:(

Posted 5 months ago #
todd_
Member Profile

Thanks for being a responsible dog owner SJoy. You make a lot of great points about following the law. It's a strong argument to have a dog owner call out other dog owners.
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After I was bitten by a pit bull in a park a couple of years ago (thankfully I was able to get between it and my young children) I looked into the law and am just continually appalled at what I see on a daily basis. I have engaged the city resources but I think the issue is just so rampant that they cannot keep up and perhaps dog owners know this? This was animal control's statement to me anyway.
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A wise man once stated, "Whether you know the law or not, you live by the law." In other words, going before a judge and saying "Oh I didn't know it was against the law to do XYZ" is probably not going to result in him or her saying, "Oh that is ok, no fine or jail time, have a nice day." If you own an animal, it has to be licensed, taken to the vet etc, etc so it doesn't seem like being in the dark about other laws would be that hard to grasp .. Plus there are green and white park dept signs in parks that clearly state the SMC code banning dogs from play areas and athletic fields (leashed or not), scoop, and leash laws.
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Get it together :)

Posted 5 months ago #
datamuse
Member Profile

People know, they just don't care.

I got growled at by a dog whose owner let it wander loose in an unfenced yard and the street. When I called her on it she said she didn't normally let the dog out like that.

Guess that's why I've only seen it wandering around loose twice since then.

I don't run on that street anymore.

Posted 5 months ago #
zachr
Member Profile

Nothing makes me feel safer than a pitbull that has a leash long enough to wrestle another dog. I would have turned back up my driveway as well.

Posted 5 months ago #
JoB
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Zachr
So the women with a legally leashed dog is automatically at fault because her dog is a pit?

Get real.

Posted 5 months ago #
zachr
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All I am saying is if I saw a pitbull being walked toward me on a leash long enough to wrestle another dog then I would get out of the way. To me it’s not worth dealing with a the owner or dog.

Posted 5 months ago #
SJoy
Member Profile

Thanx for the backup JOB! I completely expected to get slammed for my dog being a pitbull. I am fully aware that many people are not educated on the breed, they simply believe what they have been told or have seen on the news. Which for them, I guess is ok. I am not going to defend owning a pitbull, I love my puppy (and yes he is a 7 mo puppy). We are paying a lot of money on training and he is responding very well – but again he is a puppy. I am also aware of the fact that no matter what happens – it will be my dog that is the aggressor – even if he rolls over and plays dead. There is a great quote from dog trainer Cesar Millan - “In the 70’s they blamed Dobermans, in the 80’s they blamed German Shepherds, in the 90’s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the Pit Bull.”
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During the incident my dog was well controlled. Though he was on his long leash he was well mannered through the whole incident. Once I realized the dog was off leash (which I was about two houses down) I pulled my dog closer to me and locked his leash so that he had about 3 feet. As I was waiting for the lady to either take her dog up her driveway or to hold on to his collar, I told my dog to sit and he did. When it was obvious that the woman wasn’t going to come back anytime soon, leaving me to fend for myself with her dog, I finally decided to just keep walking. That’s where the dog came all the way up to my dog and they both growled and jumped on each other. I was able to pull my dog away, because I had control of him.

Posted 5 months ago #
zachr
Member Profile

How is the illegal long leash more legal than no leash?

Posted 5 months ago #
SJoy
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Are the retractable leashes illegal??? I didn't know that - I will look into it. If it is illegal than I guess it's no diffent - I really am unware. But again in this circumstance, as soon as I saw the unleashed dog I pulled and locked my dog to about 3 feet, which is half of the standard length of a leash. Again - I had full control - on a leash..

Posted 5 months ago #
KDub
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According to the Seattle Municipal Code an adequate leash is one that is 8 feet or shorter. Just had to chime in, zachr sounds a little out of line to me, but....

Posted 5 months ago #
pennidogg
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Retractable leashes are not the safest leashes to have, especially for larger breed dogs. They allow too much leeway to the dog, if your dog decides to take off on a retractable leash especially a large dog the leash will break, better to invest in a leather or cloth leash and learn to hold the excess in your hand, you have more control.

Posted 5 months ago #
SJoy
Member Profile

So I have been looking and looking online for an actual law that states that a retractable leash is illegal or one that gives a specific length of a leash and this is what I came up with: http://your.kingcounty.gov/mkcc/clerk/code/14_Title_11.pdf, 11.08.020 Definitions C. "Leash" includes a cord, thong or chain not more than fifteen feet in length by which an animal is physically controlled by the person accompanying it.
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KDub – you stated that the Sea Municipal Court states “an adequate leash is one that is 8 feet or shorter” but does it say that that is the legal length? I am not trying to be flippant so please don’t take it like that – I am truly looking for the law so that I can abide by it.
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And yes retractable leashes are not always the safest. I pick and choose when I use it. I am also very aware of my surroundings and watch for people and dogs when we are out walking. Even more so when I am using the retractable leash because you have to be hyper-sensitive about your surroundings and what is going on. If you ever pass by us when we are on our walks, you will notice that if you are on the same side of the street as me, you will see that I pull my dogs to the side and make the pitbull sit until you walk by – it doesn’t matter if you have a dog with you or not. I do this with the retractable and with his training leash. Because I have a pitbull, I realize that I need to be as safe as possible and I also need to prove to everyone else that we are safe and he is a good dog. Maybe he can help change some people’s minds about the breed!!!

Posted 5 months ago #
hammerhead
Member Profile

You go SJOy!!!! You are doing everything right. While not a fan of the retractable leash myself, I have seen them break, at least your dogs was UNDER your command and on some leash legal or not. Good on your on trying to find out too.

Yes pits get the bad rap, but again no one seems to remember it is the HUMAN that makes any dog aggressive. While there are exceptions, in general most dogs are good dogs, especially if trained properly and loved.

Posted 5 months ago #
KBear
Member Profile

SJoy, the law you referenced in your post is King County code. In Seattle, it's superseded by SMC 9.25.020, which specifies a maximum length of 8 feet. Retractable leashes aren't specifically banned, but most are longer than 8 feet.

http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/toc/9-25.htm

Posted 5 months ago #
SJoy
Member Profile

Thank you Hammerhead... and thank you KBear. I was on that site but skimmed through and didn't find that!

Posted 5 months ago #
JoB
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I like retractable leashes...

they allow me to safely corral my pups in open fields when they need to run and i can't...
and still allow me to retract the leash as tightly as needed when an unexpected human or other animal passes by.

as an added bonus, the dogs listen for the clicking noise the leash makes and respond quickly.

i do own standard leather leashes.. for when the pups will be subjected to more company than they are comfortable with...

but the retractable leash is actually easier for my arthritic hands to control.

Posted 5 months ago #
Irukandji
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I'm putting the pugs in thongs and setting them out on the porch.

Posted 5 months ago #
anonyme
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Another oft-ignored regulation (in addition to the fixed 8 ft. leash law)is the one that prohibits dogs from entering private property. This is something I see ALL the time with extendable leashes; people allow their dogs to wander all around someone else's unfenced yard, sometimes even letting them do their business on the other person's property. Doesn't matter if you scoop or not - it's still trespassing.

Posted 5 months ago #
angelm569
Member Profile

Bad dog owners are the WORST! And i love/hate that this all happened in my neighborhood. I've been complaining a long time about the bad seeds in the area. I always leash my husky, and she has been attacked several times by off leash dogs. Once very recently near the corner of Hanford and Belvidere. It's gotten to the point where i will cross the street to avoid contact with any dogs, leashed or not, when i am out for walks.
And terrible to hear the guy kicked his dog. Can you report animal abuse? That is never ok.
Thanks for being a good animal owner SJoy!

Posted 5 months ago #
TammiWS
Member Profile

Bad owners are the problem. We have two dogs in our neighborhood - one takes his leashed dog for a walk to my tree to pee on it. The other has no clue how to quiet her dog down - without fail it barks - constantly - while she sits and watches it bark... Time to probably have the conversation with both of them.

Posted 5 months ago #
hammerhead
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yep saw a guy with a big black dog on 41 sw this afternoon NO leash, yes I did make a remark he ignored me.

Posted 5 months ago #
JanS
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it's a little known fact that those who don't use leashes are also deaf...

Posted 5 months ago #
hopey
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I have to admit, one thing that really bugs me up here in Admiral are the people who use the side yard of the high school as their own private dog park. I'm talking about the little yard that runs along Hanford just east of California Ave. The football team uses that yard for training exercises. It is school property, which means dogs are not allowed at all. But every weekend, and many afternoons/evenings, I'll see people with their dogs off leash in that yard. It makes me nuts.

Posted 5 months ago #
SJoy
Member Profile

I agree with you Hopey and many others do as well. This topic has come up several times... My oldest practiced there and my youngest will be practicing there next year. Maybe I should take my pitbull over there and let him run loose and it might scare them away LOL... just kidding. Unfortunately having a pit limits you to where you can take your dog to run free since it's always the pit's fault, even if he rolled over and played dead - if there's an incident - most people blame the pit. Sorry - my rant :-( I knew this before getting him so I will stop whining now... :-)

We really do need a spot here in Admiral that our dogs can run. The off-leash park up in Highland Park is great but sometimes some of us don't have time to run up there.

Posted 5 months ago #
ws4ever
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Pugs in thongs on the porch! :) Thanks, irukanji. Are those the Days of the Week thongs?

Posted 5 months ago #
bebecat
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Just passed by the little side field south of West Seattle High on Hanford and there was a guy with his dog off leash playing fetch.

Posted 5 months ago #