I want to touch on a topic that can be controversial. Still, I believe it’s important to discuss, and hopefully, by discussing it, people will have information they can share and make better decisions with.

The topic concerns off-leash dogs in public places that do not allow dogs to be off-leash. As an owner of a dog who does not care for other dogs and has started to become even more nervous around dogs that approach her due to our neighbors adopting a dog reactive dog that constantly lunges at our fence, snarling and attacking the fence, trying to get at my dogs, I am particularly sensitive to this topic.

I would like to start by telling you about my dog Finley. I did all the socialization with her as a puppy; she went to puppy daycare and all the obedience training you do with a puppy. She even has an older brother and Cousin she regularly plays with. She does agility, dock diving, obedience, and scent work. However, around age 2 or 3, I noticed something change with her when she met other dogs. Her body language was not relaxed, her tail stood straight up, and I didn’t like it. She would never go out of her way to be aggressive, but she was telling me that she was uncomfortable with these interactions. At that point, I never let her meet a dog without both dogs being leashed and with me supervising the event. To this date, we have not had an accident because I am a diligent owner. I tell people she can be moody with other dogs, and we introduce them cautiously and with care.

Now, let’s take this a step further; let’s say we go for a walk in a park that requires the dog to be on a leash. Let’s say we encounter an off-leash dog that comes running up to my dog. What do you think will happen? I will tell you what can happen. First, my dog is on a leash and will feel trapped because this off-leash dog can approach her and is limited in where she can go. She also doesn’t like other dogs, so she will probably send that signal to that dog, who may react to it. Then we could have an attack. Just writing this causes my hands to shake and my heart to race. I cannot imagine anything happening to my beautiful girl.

Now this is one of the worst-case scenarios, but it happens; I heard about it happening to someone just a couple of weeks ago.

My plea to you is simple, if you are at a park that requires your dog to be on a leash, then follow the rules and keep them on a leash. Plenty of dog parks or other parks allow dogs to be off-leash. Research and find those if that is what you want. But before you assume your dog should be off-leash at one of these parks, please ensure you can answer yes to this question.

Will your dog, 100% of the time, return immediately to you when you call them back?

If the answer to this question is no, or less than 100%, or “well, not immediately but eventually does,” then your dog is not ready to be off-leash, and you should do more training. Sorry to be blunt, but it is the truth. I know Finn listens very well, but if she sees a squirrel or chipmunk, I am the least important thing to her at that moment. For that reason, I will never have her off-leash outside in an unenclosed area. There is one exception to that, which is when I use my SpotOn Fence, but that is for another Blog.

If you made it this far in my blog, thank you. My intent for this blog was not to offend anyone but to bring awareness. On-leash parks are made for dogs like Finn. It helps us feel safe and able to control the environment. When others don’t follow the rules, it creates a safety risk for dogs and their owners like me and Finn.

What can you do if you and your dog are in this situation? If the park is designated on-leash and you see someone with a dog off-leash, you can let them know that the park is on-leash only (they may not be aware). You can report the incident to the local Police Department (a description of the person, dog, and car is helpful). If an incident happens, please report it immediately to the local Police Department. Nothing can be done if it’s unknown.

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