Loose Dogs – Enough is Enough

[Aotearoa]

Twice this week, I was walking my dog and encountered an off-leash dog that couldn’t be controlled by the owner.

On Monday, a loose dog came running around the corner into the playground area in North Delridge, then runs straight for us. A woman followed, yelling the dog’s name. I had just picked up dog poo but haven’t had a chance to tie it, and I tried to position myself between the approaching dog and my dog. To be clear, the dog wanted to play, but my dog perceived it as aggression and wanted none of it. The owner made little more than a feeble attempt to gain control of her dog, even when I was able to grab it. No dog was hurt, but I injured my hand in a fall when the dog jumped on me as I was backing up.

Yesterday, I rounded the corner near the playground only to have a large bull terrier come charging at us. I took another fall, and this time, my dog came home with several deep bites. He was bit on his back and on his hind leg, and he can’t walk today. I will have take him to the vet this morning.

In 4 years, we’ve had little more than barking episodes between dogs in the neighborhood. But in the last 3 days, I’ve been taken down twice and injured once by out-of-control and off-leash dogs. My dog is suffering from several very serious bites.

So here is the deal for anyone who lets their dogs loose in the neighborhood: if your dog is off leash and approaches me or my dogs, it will be pepper-sprayed. I will then take a photo of you and your dog, and I will report you to the police. If you’re not around, I will call the city to collect your dog and report it as an attack. I will not let your dog injure me or my dog again just because you are irresponsible and cannot control your pet.

• This topic was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by Aotearoa.

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[newnative]

I hope you were able to call the cops on the second fall/attack. I will never forget when a friend of mine was knocked down and pinned by an off leash dog on the sidewalk (big dog). The owner came out and yelled at her to leave the dog alone!

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[KBear]

I do not understand why the city allows dog owners to flout the law. I’ve heard there are only 2 animal control officers for the entire city, but the fact is the police are also authorized to enforce animal regulations. It seems like the revenue from citations would more than cover the cost of additional enforcement.
By the way, I’m not suggesting the police should be assigned to animal control duties; just that they stop turning a blind eye when they happen to witness violations.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by KBear.

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[LoveWS]

Very few pay attention to the leash law. I have dogs come at me as I’m running through Lincoln park all the time. Each time the owner laughs and says ‘sorry, he won’t bite!” How do I know that? The sad thing is how many large dogs come out of those tiny apartments in the junction. I can hear the dogs barking from my house during the summer, pretty sad to keep dogs in there all day. You’re right, enough is enough.

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[Mr Swagger]

Unfortunately for most dog owners, the training they give their dogs amounts to little more than making sure it doesn’t crap in the house or chew on shoes or furniture, so a large majority of the city’s dog population is not sufficiently trained. I used to have a Newfoundland, he was 150+ pounds but extremely gentle and would never even consider charging anyone, just a mellow dude, but if you have a dog that is hyper, aggressive (even if it’s playful) or just not well trained, then it is incumbent on the dog owner to make sure that dog is on a leash around other people & animals. I don’t own a dog now because I don’t have the time to give it the attention it needs, for all these people who have dogs and are always gone, that is very selfish, a dog needs love & attention, if you can’t give it that attention then get a cat, they don’t care.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by Mr Swagger.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by Mr Swagger.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by Mr Swagger.

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[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.

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[skeeter]

I’m also bothered by off-leash dogs. I often ask owners to leash their dogs. Yes, I’ve gotten several of the “mind your own business” comments and looks when I say something.

What would help even more is if dog owners would say something about off-leash dogs. When I say something, the dog owner probably assumes I don’t like dogs (I do) or I don’t understand how unreasonable my request is. If a dog owner says something I think it would be more effective.

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[JoB]

skeeter.
i am a dog owner and i say something every single time i encounter an off leash dog… the usual response is something too rude to print here :(
i too have been knocked down and bitten trying to keep an unleashed dog away from my leashed dog…
and not once has the owner of an unleashed animal asked if i am hurt while i run interference between their dog and mine or offered to pick up the tab for medical bills..
i seldom walk my dog in public parks any more because it is simply too risky.
thank god i made sure that our shibas had a big yard

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[skeeter]

Thank you for saying something JoB!!

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[JanS]

I live across the street from Element 42, attached to Admiral Safeway. There was one apartment who was home to a pup (about 440 sq. ft.), and this little critter barked all day long. Both myself and my neighbors kept at the management, and eventually the barking (and the dog, I presume) stopped. I felt sorry for the poor dog, but was annoyed, too. This is our world now. …all about”me, me, me” and it seems the rest of the world out there bedamned. It’s just sad.

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[JanS]

I am not a dog owner. I had a cat once or twice. Latest is gone now. When I go out and about walking, I use a walker mostly, sometimes a cane. Due to health issues( and, geez, 71 now – when did that happen?), I am sometimes not very sturdy on my feet. I haven’t encountered an off leash dog in my neighborhood yet, but I suspect I would freeze if I did, if they were coming at me. I would simply be afraid to move, knowing that I would probably end up on the ground. It saddens me that this is an ongoing problem, exacerbated by a new attitude in this country that it’s OK to be rude, OK to break the rules, to be hateful when approached. We all talk about how much we love West Seattle because it’s a real community, because everyone is friendly, helpful, etc. More and more it seems not so much to me. That, too, saddens me.

Eh, I’m starting to sound like the “get off my lawn lady” – lol.

Keep speaking out…please:)

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[JoB]

skeeter..
we lost imoto over a year ago to cancer and yuki is approaching his final days so he doesn’t feel the loss of being able to walk in our city’s parks as much as i do… so i no longer have as much opportunity to speak out.. except to the people who pass my front gate with their unleashed animals..

this is a huge problem. i am not sure i will go back to the parks once he is gone.. i am not as steady as i once was and friends who are falling aren’t faring so well these days :( I can’t easily recover from being knocked over any more.

but this isn’t just about those of us who are knocked over or bitten by other people’s unleashed dogs… it’s about the dogs too. I still drive past more than one of our city’s parks and often have to slam on my brakes to avoid a dog who has darted into the roadway…

walking your pet unleashed is not doing them any favors.. you may want to run free but when your pet does so they are likely to encounter dangers you didn’t anticipate… with fatal consequences.

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