Off leash dog problem

[Amethyst]

Even leashed dogs can get out of control. The real problem is that some people insist on equating their pets with children (think "furbaby," "granddog," and other twee terms that some people use). And some people think their own children can simply do no wrong.

I was out walking and stopped to chat with a woman who had her dog on a leash. Next thing I know, the leashed dog nips my shin right through my sweat pants. It wasn't a bad bite, but tore the pants and drew a little blood. Fortunately, I had had a tetanus shot recently, and didn't see any point in making a big deal out of it.

Obviously the dog was jealous that its owner was not paying attention to it....The woman didn't apologize, didn't ask how my leg was, didn't offer to replace my pants; just says, "Oh, bad puppy, no cookie for you!" As if it had been a toddler.

[marko]

Oh! You've met my Fido! Don't worry, he's friendly.

We have a leash ordinance but the owners get very belligerent when you point it out. "That's for other dogs".

In my town, if I sprayed a dog, I'd be expecting a lawsuit against me.

Nutbags

[rodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Even leashed dogs can get out of control.

Very true. I see this regularly. I try not to be one of those people. I am strict with my dog and my kids. The difference is that my dog still loves me even after I correct him. The kids scream they hate me and am ruining their lives. Ah teens....

[Accidental Retiree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover I frequently encounter unleashed dogs at the local park where there is a leash rule. Those with well trained dogs think the leash law does not apply to them. The down stream effect is that people with untrained and aggressive dogs see all the loose dogs and feel they also have a right to let their dogs run free, too, with bad effects including a rider being thrown from her horse and suffering spinal injuries. So, I implore owners to follow the leash law. Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Yes. Thank you. My 3 don't go off leash, and they hate to be accosted by free-range dogs. So do I.

[travelover]

I've only had two dogs actually make physical contact with my dog and both were on a leash. I've learned that a dog can take up the 6 foot leash plus the length of an arm plus another foot or so of off balance lean in about a half second. My strategy is to allow about 15 feet when passing.


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[Bamaman]

After living in a neighborhood with 4 acre yards, we're moving to town where all the dogs are required to be on a leash. And the new neighborhood has really active walkers with leashed dogs coming by our house constantly.

Unfortunately, 10 year old Hank the Rottweiler will have to learn new tricks when we ask him to quit being a country dog and be a city dog on a leash. He's a house dog most of the time but he's very sociable with other dogs. He just doesn't like FedEx or UPS drivers.

But we'll just get a new umbrella and retractable leash and join the line of dog walkers.

[bld999]

There's something about latecomers to fads that I see in the Seattle area with dogs. Over the last 15 years or so, dogs have become an increasingly huge deal around here, and the incidence of selfish or at least boneheaded owners has floated to the surface. Responsible people get tarred with the same brush as the effect is powerful.

[travelover]

When I first moved to my rural/ suburban area lots of dogs ran loose and every time I walked my dog we got accosted. My solution was to buy an oak shovel handle about 1.5" in diameter for a walking stick. Dogs seem to know what it is because they quit coming after us. Eventually I was able to just carry the Halt. If you need to defend yourself, a shovel handle can be very effective and it doesn't look out of place.


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[Nemo2]

I've been in (at least) one jurisdiction where the criterion was 'under control'; for some (trained) dogs a hand signal/whistle/word is enough, for others laudanum would be insufficient..............I've noticed though, when it's just dog-to-dog, that the leashed ones generally feel at somewhat of a disadvantage, perhaps because they're unable to engage in the canine greeting rituals that are so important to establish where they stand in the hierarchy.

At dog parks, where there are no leashes, there is also little or no aggression. Perhaps it's the freedom, or perhaps it relates to the sort of people who bother to take their dogs to the dog parks.....I don't know.

[Avalon]

I've had to pepper spray a couple of dogs over the last several years while bike riding on country roads. I carry Fox Labs spray in a 'holster' attached to my top tube. I'd suggest the stream rather than cone or fog. Stream spreads into a shotgun pattern at 15-20 ft.
Amazon.com: Fox Labs 2 Ounce 2% OC 5.3-mm Flip Top Stream Pepper Spray: Sports & Outdoors

I'd rather not use it if at all possible because of the devastating results it has on dogs. The problem is that I sometimes have only seconds to try and determine the demeanor of a dog. One thing I've noticed is that dogs running at me with 'purpose' and not barking are the ones I'll likely need to deal with. Dogs that do a lot of barking are what I consider territorial dogs. It's part of their nature. I usually yell 'stop', 'go home', and that usually backs them off.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philliefan33 I don't have a dog, but I like dogs. I absolutely love well-trained, well-behaved dogs. I sometimes encounter off-leash dogs while running on a local walking trail. I'm always a little leery until the owner demonstrates control. There's one women who walks with four unleashed Dobermans, but as soon as she sees another walker she gives a command and all four dogs retreat to her and sit. I've encountered them a few times; on the most recent occasion I asked if it would bother the dogs if I stopped, and when she said "no" I stopped to chat. I complimented her on her diligent training and told her that I don't worry a bit anymore when I see one of her dogs on the trail. Whenever I encounter a Golden Retriever I'm worried that if anything, I might get licked to death. I know that the rule is to leash dogs, but since I like dogs and like to see them get to run and have some freedom, I don't care if the good dogs are off leash. But I understand that some people are afraid of dogs. So far I've only had two unpleasant encounters with dogs while running. One was a full-sized poodle who was off-leash and jumped on me. He yanked my iPod off and scratched up my arms before I could kick him away. His owner didn't even apologize. I did remind that owner about the leash law. The other was a chihuahua that chased me and nipped at my heels as I ran past his house. His owner yelled at me and said he wouldn't chase me if I didn't run. I had a few snarky replies, but settled for a stink-eye in response.

If you want a dog to run, have a fenced in back yard....

OR, take them to the dog park... we have a couple near us... one for big dogs and one for small... they can run to their hearts content and not bother the people who are in the park wanting to enjoy themselves without worrying about being attached by a dog....

[Whisper66]

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxfirev5 I've had enough first hand experience to know that there's no good reason for some breeds of dog to exist in our society. Spare me the exceptions.

Fully agree. Can't understand why people have Chihuahua's. Since they are so small, their owners often don't have them on leashes. Wouldn't bother me except that they are typically so high strung they charge my much bigger dogs. And they bite like little piranha. Just today had one chase me and my black lab mix as I was riding my bike with her in tow. We had to stop just so the owner could catch up and get his little yapper under control.

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whisper66 Fully agree. Can't understand why people have Chihuahua's. Since they are so small, their owners often don't have them on leashes. Wouldn't bother me except that they are typically so high strung they charge my much bigger dogs. And they bite like little piranha. Just today had one chase me and my black lab mix as I was riding my bike with her in tow. We had to stop just so the owner could catch up and get his little yapper under control.

At my local dog park the are quite a few chihuahuas 90% of them are quite friendly. then there are a few that are real jerks


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[CyclingInvestor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whisper66 Fully agree. Can't understand why people have Chihuahua's. Since they are so small, their owners often don't have them on leashes. Wouldn't bother me except that they are typically so high strung they charge my much bigger dogs. And they bite like little piranha. Just today had one chase me and my black lab mix as I was riding my bike with her in tow. We had to stop just so the owner could catch up and get his little yapper under control.

Agreed. Here is a friend's chihuahua we watched for a few months 'attacking' my 130 lb Leonberger

[brewer12345]

OP, bear spray works wonders on both dogs and owners.

[34rlsa]

Dogs should live in very rural areas with plenty of room to run... off leash and free.

Ask any dog.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philliefan33 If I ever get a dog, a Border Collie would be my first choice. I'm impressed with their intelligence. I would have to carefully consider, though, if I was really up to keeping one engaged and busy. Bored, intelligent dogs get themselves into trouble.

I had an Australian Shepherd which is similar to a Border Collie in temperament and intelligence. You're right about keeping them busy, they seem to have almost endless energy, a walk around the neighborhood won't come close to burning off their energy. They aren't big city house pets, you need a good size yard to let them loose.

[mystang52]

At the local bike path where I do most of my running, vast majority of the dogs (yes, we have local ordinance requiring it) are on leash. One woman I recognize has 2 dogs not on leash but extremely obedient - as soon as I get within some 200 feet they go to her side and sit until I pass.
I appreciate that, but nevertheless I stay leery.
My bigger concern on that path are the many dogs on LONG leashes. Either the owners think they are complying with letter of law but not spirit, or haven't read the fine print about length of the leash. Those long leashes create a hazard for both runners as well as cyclists.
BTW, I run with pepper spray but after reading some of the prior posts I think I need to get a stronger spray.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Even leashed dogs can get out of control. The real problem is that some people insist on equating their pets with children (think "furbaby," "granddog," and other twee terms that some people use). And some people think their own children can simply do no wrong.

I walk two Golden Retrievers (always on leashes except in off-leash areas). They are always very friendly to people and generally friendly to other dogs but as soon as other dogs lung or bark, they bark back. My take on it is that leashed dogs feel insecure when another dog is aggressive and put on a self defensive show. This is never a problem in the Congressional Cemetery which is a local off leash area nor in a local park where a lot of dogs run free.

[bingybear]

probably get in trouble with this, but use bear spray. I don't own normal pepper spray, but I have plenty of bear spray (pepper spray on steroids).

To the OP. The other option in your case was pictures with your phone. pics of the dogs, owners and their car (plates) or address. File a report and be willing to press charges.

I've was bitten twice as a kid, once by a rat dog, the other by a doberman. The doberman was the nicest well trained dog until its master died. It became over protective for a while and took a chunk out of my leg. After it calmed down it was back to the nice dog I knew before.
We have a neighbor with a dog that will come over and growl at my wife in our back yard and chases her inside. This won't last much longer... no I won't shoot it. There are legal ways to handle this... and pretty easily where I'm at.