mark47n
Aotearoa: great username. I’ve spent a lot of time there between contracts on the Ice. IT’s the only place I’ve considered, seriously, trying to immigrate to.
As to the topic of unleashed dogs, I think that most dogs are leashed, they just aren’t the dogs that you notice. That said, dog owners who let rover loose and want to assure me that their dog is “safe” really, really suck. I own dogs, I have two stupid, lovable labs, one that yowls and growls as she runs at people she want pets from (she is really crazy!) and though I know that she would only insert herself between your legs and wiggle no one else knows that.
Leash laws exist to protect the public from dogs as well as to protect dogs. If your dog needs to spend some time off leash we have places for that, albeit not enough of them. Requiring others be tolerant of your bad manners and disregard for your dogs safety shows that you aren’t a responsible owner. I don’t even take my dogs hiking because dogs on trails are really unpredictable and I’ve had some really spooky incidents with leashed and unleashed dogs in the hills.
What I really hate, though, more than anything, are the owners that are aggrieved at my reaction to them violating the leash laws especially after having been charged by their dog. “Their really friendly” doesn’t m are me feel any better as rover is growling at me with teeth bared. “I’ve never seen my pooch act like that” after their unleashed dog snaps at my leashed dog, followed up with their ire after my dog lunges back to take a piece of their dog. You know, predators acting as predators.
I love dogs…to distraction. I’m the guy that pets your dog too long and get down to eye level with them. I let my dog on the bed when my wife is out of town, I feed them bits of people food and want them to be as happy as I can help them to be. Dogs are awesome. People that own dogs, however, are a mixed bag.