Dogs Off Leash

[PDieter]

The quantity of these threads is interesting to me. It seems that this is very much like talking/texting on a cell phone while driving. I believe I see many more people doing that than dogs off leash but barely ever see long ranting threads about it here. I simply don’t know why off leash dogs garner so much more animosity than other similar civil violations.

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[JanS]

PDieter…maybe we need to start another thread about the texters/talkers. Just this morning a woman passed me as I was taking some trash out to the dumpster behind my building.She was driving slowly, thank goodness, but talking on her cellphone up to her ear, holding it in one hand, window rolled down, and as she talked, she was waving her other hand around. Unless she’s a physical freak, there was no hand on the steering wheel. Hate to see what transpired after she hit the main drag :-

I think the dog off leash thing bothers so many because there is a very real fear of certain breeds, of being attacked and bitten…while the “entitled” owner just things everything is hunky with their precious little puppy dog., such a little cutie he or she is, who would never harm a fly….yeah, right !

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[PDieter]

I don’t see a single reference to breed in any of these posts? It seems to me the objections are rarely breed specific. Off hand it seems the objections are about breaking a law and public safety and frequency of violations. Given how much more dangerous and frequent the cell phone use is it seems like here is something else going on here

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[JanS]

Perhaps others can chime in with their thoughts as to why they think it is…

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[JoB]

just now i heard a commotion outside my front door.

i opened it to see what i thought at first was a woman walking three labs… one on leash and the other two off leash.

then i heard the woman repeatedly tell the two off leash dogs to go home.

this morning.. sweet innocent everyone’s best friends labs are harassing a woman as she tries to walk her dog.

it’s 7AM. do you know where your dogs are?

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[JoB]

i think the reason that the off leash dogs posts are so frequent is that it is almost impossible to go about your business avoiding off leash dogs when you are legally walking your leashed pet.

They don’t go their way and let you go yours.. they make a beeline for your leashed pet.

even if your pet is dog friendly and well behaved and the off leashed dogs are friendly and well behaved.. getting them to go away so you can get on with your business is an impossible task.

just keeping control of the leash with a dog that is pivoting as unleashed dogs circle is a major task… keeping the leash from entangling your legs … almost impossible… and to do all that while keeping moving and hoping for the best.. stressful to say the least.

double the dogs you are walking… add one that is more than willing to let the off leash dogs know they are being rude … then add unsteady feet and you have the potential for disaster every time you legally walk your dog… even if the off leash dogs are friendly.

i have the skinned knees, bruises and scars from bites to prove it.

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[nativegurl]

PDieter, “something else going on” What are you getting at? Cell phones & dogs…? Same amount of infractions going on in both instances and nothing happens to the individual? Neither is a good idea.

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[PDieter]

What I’m trying to understand (“get at”) is when we have two very similar public safety and legal violations; why this forum overwhelmingly concentrates on one and not the other. I just think it’s curious.

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[wakeflood]

Good Q, PDieter. I suspect it has something to do with the high percentage of folks who do bad things with cell phones and don’t want to risk the hypocrisy of calling others out. Pots and kettles.

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[Duskyviolet]

This isn’t about breed but I’d like to walk my two leashed dogs without having a nervous breakdown. Last night my husband and I took a walk up to Solstice Park, notoriously prone to off-leash dogs. We barely got to take in the view before Otis the young labradoodle came tearing by us off leash. I know he wanted to play with our dogs but one of my dogs is not dog friendly. The owner uncommitedly called Otis over and over and over (which is why I remember his name) but wouldn’t move her butt any further than she had to to try and wrangle him. Her excuse for this: “he would just run away from me”. Seriously?!? If he’s not trained for recall or to listen than don’t take him off leash in a public park where my dog is likely to take a chunk out of your dog!!!

PDieter, why don’t you start your own forum post about drivers on their phone instead of hijacking our rant!

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[wakeflood]

Sounds like Otis the labradoodle has more sense than his owner. A not uncommon condition it seems with the off-leash crowd.

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[NorthbyNorthWest]

In regards to the last sentence in post #35, “PDieter, why don’t you start your own forum post about drivers on their phone instead of hijacking our rant!”, I think the point is that the people on this forum tend to spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about dogs (and their poop), rather then other issues that aren’t legal that are just as, or more, prevalent/dangerous. I’ve seen it posted here before but I think it bears repeating, “first world problems”…

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[angelescrest]

This is a good spot to rant, whatever world the problem falls in. I was thinking about pd’s inquiry…I think it’s the proximity of the dog thing that rankles the nerves. Texting while driving is potentially more dangerous, but there’s the spatial difference. You’re encapsulated in the car–or the other person is. The dog thing is so tangibly threatening–right in your or your dog’s face. You’re kind of forced into engagement with the owner…argh! Super discomfort added to the threat of an attack.

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[MSWS]

“our rant”

love it

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[JoB]

that’s it in a nutshell..

you stand a much better chance of avoiding the driver talking on their phone than the off leash dog charging towards you

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[Wes C. Addle]

I was just in Asia. I don’t think any Seattle resident could survive there long. The only animal I saw leashed was a Water Buffalo and the traffic, speeding, and cutting off of other drivers would give most a near heart attack.

But in America, please control your dog.

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[nativegurl]

Off the subject again! Traffic and dogs this time! Start a forum on traffic wescaddle…you will get just as many comments or more on that as you will get on unleashed dogs…its for the safety of your dog to keep it leashed. It reminds us of the old saying, “stupid human tricks”…or immature dog owners.

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[JoB]

Wes C Addle

in Asia very few of the dogs you see on the streets have humans.. attached or otherwise

thus.. no laws for humans to control their pets

i don’t know if there are traffic laws or not

from everything hubby has told me of his experiences there… mostly not

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[wssort]

Also, the West Duwamish Greenbelt and field at Pathfinder are always full of unleashed doggies. Saw one lady enter the trails with three unleashed pit bulls once and was charged on the field by an unleashed Doberman (me and my five year old)…luckily the dog responded to it’s owner but we were nonetheless scared poopless. I understand WS should have more dog parks, we are a sixth of Seattle’s population and we obviously are going to keep growing. I don’t own a dog because my daughter is allergic (to their saliva) and it’s really hard to get dog owners to listen to me regarding this. I will say sorry she cannot pet as she has allergies yet they will ignore me and approach my kid anyway. Some people are just inconsiderate…the way they handle their dogs, drive, etc. An ideal world would be nice but at least we’ve got this blog to vent ;))

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[Seattle Trash]

“you stand a much better chance of avoiding the driver talking on their phone than the off leash dog charging towards you”

I’ve had the opposite, extreme opposite, experience. I’ve had one off-leash dog approach my on-leash dog in the past couple years. I have seen, at minimum one inattentive driver on their phone per day.

“You’re kind of forced into engagement with the owner…argh! Super discomfort added to the threat of an attack.”

Too funny. I know it’s a Seattle thing to avoid human contact, but it’s funny to see it written as above.

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[JanS]

Smiling and saying hello is no problem with a lot of people on the street.. Confronting an off leash owner about their dog is another thing entirely…it’s not pleasant, and they usually argue with you. Not many nicely say” Oh, sorry.” and leash up. They are rude, they argue, or they simply ignore. Two different scenarios for sure…has nothing to do with avoiding human contact.

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[JoB]

Seattle Trash..

i too have seen lots of people on cell phones

and lots of really dangerous aggressive driving

but.. and here is the difference..

all i do is see them

i have been able to avoid them

if i go into public with my dogs..

and by going into public i include walking my dogs in my neighborhood

i am likely to meet an off leash dog

if i stop at a public park to walk my leashed dogs i am even more likely to meet an off leash dog

most of the time i put my dogs behind me and yell at the owner that my dogs are not friendly and the owner leashes their dog

but often enough they laugh and tell me it’s ok their dog is friendly…

since my dogs are leashed and most often in my arms by the time the off leash dog approaches..

guess who gets hurt?

i’ll give you a hint. It isn’t the person who is standing across the field yelling to the dog that isn’t responding.

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[nativegurl]

Its also very obvious that since the days are longer now, the dogs are out at the crack of dawn. Saw an off leash dog in my neighbor’s yard (not theirs) barking at the cat across the street. JUST BECAUSE YOU WALK YOUR DOG AT THE CRACK OF DAWN DOESN’T MEAN THAT ITS OK TO HAVE HIM/HER OFF LEASH! The dogs should be walking the humans, dogs have more sense than their caretakers.

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[NorthbyNorthWest]

Time to move on people, life is too short to be this angry…

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[nativegurl]

Go ahead and move on…who’s angry? All caps doesn’t mean anyone is angry…just wanted to make sure dog walkers can read.

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