Dear Off-Leash Dog Owners!

I have read countless stories, posts, and articles about off-leash dogs who have no voice control running up to leashed dogs and causing problems and or worse getting into confrontations.

Here’s the thing YOUR OFF-LEASH DOG IS AT FAULT! I don’t care if your dog is friendly, I don’t care if he has never been in a fight, or loves everybody and everything. My ON-LEASH dog does too. But that still doesn’t give your dog the right to run up to us without permission while you scream in the background “HES FRIENDLY” Just stop embarrassing yourself.

Here is the scoop. YOU don’t know anything about the dog I am walking. For all you know, he could be on a leash because he runs away, or maybe he’s in training and we’re working on leash manners. OR it could be my dog’s first walk out of the shelter;  it could be his first time enjoying the freedom and the fresh air. It could be his first time getting to smell the grass and the wildflowers because he was kept chained up in a dirt lot surrounded by garbage and after months of having to be poked, prodded, and brought back to life, and received a little bit of training he finally got the go-ahead to take a walk. HIS FIRST WALK. That YOU and your dog are going to completely ruin because “your dog is friendly.”

I don’t know if he is friendly, I don’t know if he will be ok with your dog. What I do know is that he is going to be scared, he is going to be unsure of what to do and I guarantee your dog is going to make him completely uncomfortable and make his FIRST experience out in the world a crappy one. You ever watch the movie The Green Mile? When the old man gets out of jail after like 70 years and he’s alone, scared, and unsure of what to do and everybody is just treating him like an average joe? Well, that could be exactly how my dog feels and the only thing familiar to him is me, and that’s why he keeps moving forward. For ME!

Yes, I will protect him, I will step in between your dog and him and I will give him reassurance that I WILL NOT let your dog get close to him or hurt him. I will do whatever I need to do to not only protect him but protect your dog as well. Even though that is YOUR JOB! not mine! and the sad part is I shouldn’t have to do that if you would just CALL YOUR DOG!

Just because your dog is friendly doesn’t mean you can let him be off-leash with no voice control. It doesn’t mean you can let him do whatever he wants. It doesn’t mean you can just walk along and ignore the fact that your dog is being rude and he has no idea. While he runs up to people, dogs, and chases birds.

The funny thing is, it’s not the dog that is the problem, it’s YOU! Why? Because you’re the one who should be in control. You are the one who let your untrained dog off-leash. YOU are the one allowing him to do what he does. That means YOU will be responsible if he goes up to an on-leash dog and that dog attacks him. That means YOU will be responsible if your dog gets hurt because he runs up to somebody who’s afraid of dogs and they kick him, or worse, sue you because your dog “scratched” them. YOU are the ignorant one who thinks just because your dog is friendly it’s ok to let them roam free. It’s NOT!

If your dog has a crap recall, get a long line. They can go out up to 50 ft to roam and run yet you still have a leash on them and can at least bring them back to you if you need to, and you can practice your recall. How you do it is, you call your dog, if they don’t come to you then you pull them in and once they get to you praise them, give them a treat and then release them out again.  NO that doesn’t mean you can let him walk up to a dog who’s on a leash when your dog is 50 ft away from you. (yeah it’s sad, I had to put that in there).

ASK PERMISSION BEFORE LETTING YOUR DOG SAY HI TO A PERSON AND OR ANOTHER DOG!!!! I mean seriously, it’s not like strangers come up to you and get in your face and start smelling you, right?  Why should you let your dog?!

Or TRAIN YOUR DOG!!! If your dog is off-leash and you see another dog and you call them to you and they turn around and come to you right away and walk next to you! THAT is when it’s totally ok for your dog to be off-leash, and as I walk by with my dog I will thank you and comment on how well behaved your dog is. But, until you can call your dog off mid-chase going after a scrambling bunny, your dog doesn’t have voice control.

Don’t be that jerk, because the only one who’s going to pay for your mistake is your dog!

Bottom line, you don’t know the dog on a leash, so start being the change we need to see. Start being polite, start having a little more self-awareness, and start being an example for everyone else.

I love taking dogs on off-leash adventures so they can roam, play, and explore, but I only do it if it’s safe for both them and things around them.

Yes, this post is a little harsh but it’s sad when clients tell me they’re scared to walk their dogs because of off-leash dogs, or dogs running loose in their unfenced front yard. People shouldn’t have to be scared to go out and walk their dogs. We all live in this world together and want our dogs to be happy so why not respect each other’s space so we can all enjoy the beautiful trails.

XX

D