You may or may not recall my vent last weekend. Now all you dog lovers - a question. You jog with your dog off the lead, and in the main he's very obedient. Then one day he ignores all your commands, goes across to another dog, and attacks it. This is your dog - what would you do, and what would you do next time you go jogging?
I think people that go jogging with the poor dog having to follow along are downright selfish. The dog wants to have a sniff and a game, not keep running in a straight line in order to keep up, just an excuse to say the dog has been exercised. That said, and in answer to your question Fran, not go jogging with the dog again.
Is your dog a dog or not? I get fed up with owners who do not allow their dogs to function like a hound. They live through their smelling abilities and they love to gambol briefly with another dog and have a good sniff around. I agree with Pete - a walk for the dog should not satisfy YOUR need for a jog or anything else. Your need should be to enjoy the real pleasure your dog is getting from what is after all, a brief spell of the day. Sorry one and all, you'll find I am a bit outspoken on these topics.
I agree with the above. Jogging is daft anyway, but a dog's walk is for the dog. Nothing to stop you from enjoying it also and my dog has a way of inviting me to run with her for short bursts in the forest As regards dogs attacking other dogs, other animals or people - you just don't let a dog off the lead ever if it is not 100% reliable. And that is down to the owner. Owners of dogs that attack children should be charged with GBH and the owners of dogs that kill chidren should be charged with man slaughter. Its not the dog's fault.
Completely agree with Eleagnus and Hornbeam. My dogs run free to enjoy the walk. Bella totally ignores other dogs, and is completely uninterested in other people - she's only interested in rnning around after interesting smells. As soon as I see anyone who looks worried about her running free, I call her back and she goes on the lead until we're past that area, then she's free again. That way she gets her run without upsetting anyone. What I hate is when people see you have your dog on a lead and let theirs come up to it. No dog on a lead will accept that happily - and it leaves me with my very good dog seeming to be in the wrong, as she is growling and snarling, while their little angel keeps pestering her.... Makes me mad!
Thanks folks for your response, just needed to check I wasn't being unreasonable. My dog is walked on an extending lead, as he is still learning his manners at 8 months old. You will recall my Cav was attacked last weekend by a terrier. Well today whilst returning from walking my dog cross the fields, I saw that same jogger, with terrier coming towards me. Remembering last time I crossed to the other side of the road. Its owner, still with the dog off lead, called the dog to heel, and once again was ignored as the dog shot over the road and attacked my cav again. This time I did speak to him. Told him if he couldn't control his dog, then it should be on a lead. If it had been my dog, after the first incident, I would have had it on a lead. I wondered if I was being unreasonable. [ 14. October 2006, 10:38 PM: Message edited by: Fran ]
Glad to see that you agree with my attitude Hornbeam, Dendrobium and Fran and totally agree with the owners being the ones to blame in the circumstances outlined here. It really is the fault of the owner in these cases as they put their animals in these positions in the first place and there are more ways than one that the dog can pay with their lives. For attacking someone, running across a road and getting hit and the latest I heard was this awfully sad cse which happened in the village I live in. Some new people arrived with a very old dog. Unknown to me he was nearly blind and very deaf. They thought it was clever to have him without a lead or collar ''because he had always been used to it''. Although the village got more built up over the last 5 years the moor opposite was still available for us to run the dogs.Of course the amount of people walking about steadily increased from absolutely none most of the time to twelve or thirteen. One evening they went to cross to the other side of the main road to the moor and a gaggle of about seven people collected around dog and master. When the people moved off close to the dog he thought it was his master and walked straight out into a car! The death of the dog was quite long drawn out (Two days) and the owners very upset. They could have avoided this couldn't they? and the dog could still be here. What more does one have to say and I always have that type of thing on my mind whether I am making provisions for my cats or dog.
I can scarcely believe this, but the above owners now have a new young dog they have provided with a collar and lead - but they are teaching him to hold the lead in his mouth and not clipped onto the collar!
It is quite simple if your dog does something while off the lead you can be breaking the law - failure to control your animal. We used to have a lovely labrador and just after we rehomed him I met another guy carrying a baby and with a staffie on a lead. My dog pulled and the lead snapped. He ran over to say hello and the staffie did not look happy. The guy had enough presence of mind to wave his foot at my dog and it prevented any argument....but in that moment I realised I was in the wrong but luckily nothing happened. The same dog used to get ambushed by a couple of dalmations and the owner told me it was my fault for having my dog on a lead!!! My present dog, A Gerrman Shepherd has been attacked while she was on a lead, on one occasion by a pack of 7 retrievers. The breeder was two fields away at the time. I was fending them off on one side but Poppy nailed one on her side. They all turned tail after that. I understand she was selling one that afternoon. Bet she didn't sell the one that came back with teeth marks on it! She was so far away she didn't even know what had happened. I always keep Poppy on a lead. She doesn't attack dogs on leads but she does like to play and it usually involves pretty rough play fights so that is reserved for when we meet her labrador friends- labradors are tough see. Also people tend to get a bit intimidated by such a big dog and I did not get her to frighten people.
There you go Geoffhandley - using that word which should never have to be used when connected to the words dog/cat/or any other animals (Yes - breeder) I think they are the scum of the earth.) I told you I like to be pedantic! Hope you enjoy your time with G C.
