Discussion on loose dogs

I'd like to learn from responsible dog owners how they feel about this situation.
I LOVE dogs. I don't have any as I've not the time to devote to them. But I love them. However, I am terrified of being attacked by a loose dog that I don't know.
I'm a runner and I run long distances over some fairly rural roads. I believe that it is my right to use these roads for my runs as they are public roads.
However, its fairly common in rural areas around here for dogs to be allowed to roam freely. Growing up, I always had a dog. But we obeyed the leash laws and kept the yard fenced. It's not any safer for the dog than for me for it to be out roaming.

I just thought I'd open a discussion on this topic. Just because there aren't leash laws in rural areas, do you think the dogs should be out running freely? I carry mace and have never had to use it. But I worry someday I may be forced to.

For anyone else who likes to walk, run, bike, etc, do you experience this ever?

I'm not a big fan of loose running dogs.

Let's face it, loose dogs get into trouble! :)

And sometimes it is scary to have a dog that you don't know at all rushing up to you.

I also carry mace in my neighborhood because of loose dogs, but I've never had to use it.

Loose dogs are a problem, especially when I am trying to walk more than one of mine at a time, on leashes!!!!! :mad: Usually they are nice, but it is hard to hold one of mine back, let alone two, when another dog approaches off leash.

I don't like dogs who are off leash because they can get into trouble. My neighbor has had his dog for the longest time. He is very obediant and they go for walks without a leash. I don't doubt it for one second that if my neighbor says, "Come" the dog will listen but who knows if there are any other loose dogs who aren't as obediant. Fights can happen.

You should keep your dog on leash for his safety and for the safety of other dogs and people. Mickey almost got attacked by a huge Lab while on a walk. I had him on leash but the house we passed by didn't have their dog leashed.

Once we looked outside the window and there was a huge Boxer at the bottom of our stairs. My dad freaked! lol. It was actually the neighbors dog...they always keep him loose.

I'm rambling...sorry ;)

I don't know if this counts but we don't have a fenced in yard and I let Bull run loose in the yard. I of course always watch him and he usually stays right in the yard and doesn't bother anyone on the road. (now the drive-way is another story)

I hate loose dogs! It's a rather big pet peeve of mine. I have enough to handle with one galoofity pup, without handling some irresponsible persons' dog pouncing on mine. And have you ever noticed that those who are off leash are usually never trained?? From two miles away you hear "Come come come come come. I SAID COME" :rolleyes:

I grew up in a rural area and we had no leash laws. We did let our dogs run loose, however unlike the situation you are describing it was over a half mile from our house to the road. We never had a problem with a dog leaving our actual house area, on the occasion we did have a dog that would try to roam then he would stay in the dog run unless we were outside (which was most of the day) to watch him. I will admit that where I lived everyone used to let their dogs loose, it's very much a rural thing. But unlike the city we don't have cars to worry about thankfully, if we did I'm sure it would have been differently. Now, I'm not trying to start an arugment or anything, so if anyone has a problem with what I said please just PM me.

I also wanted to edit this.. We lived on a 50 acre plot of land,so as I said before the road was a pretty far walk and our dogs never left the area near the house so there was no one that they could have bothered.

2kitties,
I changed my running route because of these two dogs....while I like to quicken my pace, I prefer to do it for cardiovascular reasons, not from FEAR!

I *hate* people who let their dogs run loose! We go for a walk everyday, and most of the dogs are leashed, but occasionally you'll find a loose dog or two, and when they see us, they like dart towards us as fast as they can! :eek: I swear its SO scary. If you don't know the dog, you can't exactly trust it, and when a dog goes after me like that, I get so scared my heart stops. Once two dalamations were alone on the street, and when they saw us, they darted towards us at like 50 mph and nearly bit us. :mad: They had an evil look in their eye, and the worst part was they were alone. My dad shook his keys to try to scare them away but they didn't budge. They were just boldly standing in front of our faces waiting to attack. Anyway, I grabbed a rock off the road and threw it, not on the dogs, but on the road. That sure scared them, and off they went. Once they left us alone, my dad called animal control and I believe they did come and did something about them.

I can't stand people letting their dogs off leash (off leash parks are exceptions). Not only is it unsafe for the dog but it's a menace for other people. Not everyone loves dogs. If I wasn't a dog person, I certainly wouldn't appreciate seeing an off leash dog right by me. Some people already cringe when you walk past them with a dog on leash.

I thought I'd share this..Kaedyn's past owners let him walk himself. Neighbors got mad and complained to animal control..so the reason we have this little guy now, is because of some stupid person letting their dog run by himself. A bitter sweet thing I guess..

I hope I don't sound hypocritial because of what I said in my last post. But here in the city I NEVER let Missy off her leash unless we are in the dog park. When I go to pick her up to take her out she is leashed even on the short walk from the house to my car, I just worry about all the what ifs... like if she saw another dog and wanted to chase it or anything like that. While I know Missy is well behaved and wouldn't run I still worry and if she is outside the house for a second she is always leashed.

Growing up, our dogs always ran loose--in the woods behind the house, possibly similar to Laura--they weren't near the road, never saw people, and came home all the time.

My dogs are NEVER off leash. First of all, Abbey would go wherever her nose led her, whether it was next door or New York. Kito would do the same--shibas were bred for hunting rodents, and if he takes off, I fear I will never see him again. Riley runs, because he is a puppy, and Jada stays right next to us. I know how Riley and Jada act, because I've tested them, out of curiosity (I walked to the mailbox, which is 2 houses down, please don't start an argument with me).

I don't trust any of mine, and I certainly don't trust someone else's dog off leash. There is a golden across the street who ends up in our front yard sometimes, and I drag him home--the lady always says "gee, he knows better than to leave the yard, I wonder why he came to your house":rolleyes: There is also a woman down the street who has 2 rat terriers--she never puts them on a leash!! I have ran into them a few times while walking my own dogs, and what a pain. They don't even wear collars:mad: She calls them, and eventually they come, but it is hard, especially if it's Kito I have out--anything smaller than him he looks at as prey--he wants to get at these little dogs.

I wish everyone could understand to keep their dogs on a leash, and watch them. I love dogs, but if I was walking or running somewhere, and a dog--any breed, and size--who was unfamiliar to me came running out, I would be scared.

I had a run in with a loose dog about 20 minutes ago, while I was jogging with Tasha. Tasha is a rottweiler/german shepherd mix. We were talking on the grass next to the road, and out of nowhere a huge black and white dog came running full blast up to us. I stopped immediately and pulled Tasha close to me, then yelled really deep and loud "get the ____ out of here." The dog would not leave me and Tasha a lone, Tasha's hair was about 5 feet tall and she was growling really hard. I yelled at the dog again, and it ran behind Tasha and he looked like he was getting ready to come at her, so I turned around and smacked it with the leash. Right after that happened, this stupid little girl about 2 feet tall comes walking to the side of the road and in a cheery voice shouts: "Trixie come over here honey." UGH- I WANTED TO GO OVER THERE AND ASK HER IF SHE KNEW HOW TO KEEP HER DOG IN THE YARD! I was so mad!! (I do feel bad about hitting it, but oh well, I didn't feel safe at all)

Basically, I hate loose dogs. I don't feel safe around them at all. My dog will never be off leash in a residential area.

Rarely are our dogs off leash outisde of our fence. If they are, first, it is one at a time (or 1 per person). Second, it is brief...walking out to pick up the trash can etc. Third, we are watching constantly and if anyone is coming up the road with or without,another dog, they are put on leash, or we have a hold of the collar.

We don't have too many dogs run loose around here, and if they do they have most likely jumped a fence or snapped a collar.

My friend, who lives outside city limits has a big problem with the neighbor's two dogs. They are often loose and always come to her house where they know they can get a good meal and a fresh bowl of water. More than they get from their owners :( At first she didn't mind too much, but then they got the 2nd dog and both were at her house more then at home...and o one would miss them for days at a time...
This summer, she finally had to call the dog warden becuase the dogs has been there so often and had dug up a lot of her plants. She streesed to the warden that the dogs were very friendly and not bad dogs, just had bad owners. The people were warned to get them licensed and keep them at home and so far it is a little better. Unfortunatly for the dogs, as it gets colder, they may have less of a chance to get a drink if they can't get free...their own water will no doubt be frozen :mad:

A few weeks ago I went biking with Roxey and this medium sized dog came charging out of it's driveway & started running after us:eek: And no, it wasn't just being friendly, it was trying to bike Roxey's behind:mad:
There were 2 boys out there & they started yelling for it, but it kept running after us. I just told Roxey to run, and I peddled as fast as I could. Finally it gave up when it seen we weren't going to stop.
This is just one of the reasons people shouldn't let their dogs run loose:rolleyes:

buck goes under the fence, jefe goes over. so when i let them out back, i normally have 2 long chains(about 30 feet long) so my dogs dont go loose often, unless he makes it out the door :-\ i only let my dogs into my fenced backyard(which they get out of easily) if i'm playing with them, and when i'm playing with them. They are occupied so..

but luckily we dont see it often around where we live.

there is a aussie cattle dog X who lives around the corner from us who runs loose ALL the time and he is also agressive and has come after the dogs and i quite a few times *shudders* and all you hear from across the road where the dog lives "get *censored* back in here you *censored* mutt" :(

laura as long as your dogs were not bothering anyone and were safe i see nothing wrong with giving them a little freedom.

and i will admit that when we return from the park our dogs run from the car to the front door un leashed, and somtimes theodore (chihuahua) goes out to the tree out front to mark his territory but comes strait in when called. and also clover will go unleashed from a friends car to the back yard (a whole 20 meters or so) without any problems. so we are not srict about leashes ALL the time.

I live in a small housing development just outside of town. There are about 12 houses in our development. We are only one of a couple that fenced all or part of our yard to keep our dogs contained. It's really frightening to get out of your car after working late until dark and being rushed by a neighbor's dog. When they wander into our yard ours all go crazy at the window.

The other thing - I don't mind accidently stepping in my dog's poop because I know to expect that inside the fence - I have dogs! But it really chaps my butt to step in someone else's dogs poop in the unfenced part of our yard. We have a couple of dogs that wander the area and do their business in other people's yards.

I have two of mine that can be trusted off leash. Carly loves to run and even when she's chasing a rabbit when we call, she stops and comes right back. Muffin only wants to go where her daddy is so if I have her off leash it's only when she can find him close by. The others cannot be trusted at all.

Off the subject, but here's one for you. I came home one night and the neighbor's horse had gotten loose and came up by our front step and pooped in the yard. I was sooooo mad!

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Originally posted by robinh

Off the subject, but here's one for you. I came home one night and the neighbor's horse had gotten loose and came up by our front step and pooped in the yard. I was sooooo mad!

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Ok, I hate to laugh but....lolololol

BTW-I'd rather step in horse poop than dog poop! :D

I guess my beef is with completely loose dogs. I'm not particulary frightened of an off-leash animal if it is closely accompanied by its owner.
But I've seen dogs running together in "packs" and it is very scary.

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Originally posted by cloverfdx
laura as long as your dogs were not bothering anyone and were safe i see nothing wrong with giving them a little freedom.

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What Laura are you directing this towards, me or UABasoon?

Me personally, I will never let my dog (when I get one, that is) off leash in residental areas due to the fact of cars, dogs, cats, small children, etc. I will definately let my dog off leash out in the country, and up by our cottage- that is if they listen to commands well off the leash.

That's what I do with Tasha, my neighbors Rott/Shep dog, she is on the leash all the time around here. But when we go running on the local running/bike trail, she is off the leash because you are in the woods 90% of the time, no houses and some road crossings. When runners/walkers/bikers approach me, I stop and put her back on the leash just to be safe and curtious, once they pass, then I let her off again. She is excellent at following voice commands, so that is not an issue.

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What Laura are you directing this towards, me or UABasoon?

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UABasoon

While walking Kia downtown, a beautiful English Sprinter was running loose on the other side of the street... (this street leading into downtown is more like a 4 lane highway, even though the speed limit is 35)

He spotted me walking Kia and too my great fear ran into the street (was nearly hit) and started bouncing around wanting to play.

Andy who was with me was nervous, but I could tell the dog had good intentions from it's playful manner. Whether someone had let it loose or it had gotten out on accident.. I don't know... but he was nearly hit again when he decided to run across the street. He had a collar on but wouldn't let me get close enough to grab him. :(

I'd never let Kia loose in the city... she's not street smart.

BUT...

here is where I am guilty. There is a park a few miles drive from Williamston that is located in the woods with gorgeous trails that run near the river. I barely see anyone out there, and once we are deep in, I let Kia off her leash. She loves to run and play, sticks to the trail mostly and never lets me out of her sight. I know she is friendly to other dogs. Is there a risk that a not so friendly dog that is off leash could get her? Yes, but what is to stop a dog like that from attacking me or Kia if she's on her leash. Kia would probably have a better chance of defending herself if she were off leash. But that's my opinon.

Well, last night we were walking in the woods. Kia was on leash again (after running the trails with me off leash), when we heard this galloping noise. I turned and was startled at this young golden retriever running right at us. I recognized him as someone Kia had played with before and so I let Kia off her leash and the chase was on. When I caught up, the gentleman who owned the retriever asked if Kia was friendly. She was sitting politely at a distance and the retriever was at a sit at the guy's side.

I said yes, and he told the retriever that he could play. Off like a shot he ran with Kia having a blast chasing.

Call me naive, but I've just met too many nice dogs off leash.

I wish we had a fenced in dog park. We don't... but we're working on it.

I think when I started the thread, I should've been more clear. I've really no problem with an owner taking the dog off leash when he or she is near, or if it's a park or something like that.

My concern is for dogs allowed to run and roam away from home or even in their own yards unsupervised.

It's so dangerous for dogs. Not only are there cars and traffic to worry about, but a farmer will shoot your dog if it comes onto the farm and bothers the animals or crops. And, as far as I'm concerned, he has every right. That's awful, but true.

And, if I'm out running and my safety is threatened, I will do what I have to do.

But, on the other hand, I find it difficult to believe that most dogs are so well trained they wouldn't chase something sometimes. I don't have a pup, but if I did, it's only off leash times would be in my fenced in yard or a bark park.

oh kia that sounds like such fun :)

monday night i was waiting outside of my grandfather house and i saw a beautiful border collie running up a VERY busy road, and to my horror ran out infront of a car , luckily the car stopped intime and the dog was safe for the time being, but no owners to be seen anywhere, and i could not see a collar on the dog. i went off in search with my mother but we could not find the dog :( i just hope he got home safly or someone found him and took him in.



:o and i am guilty also of having our dogs offlead at the parks around where we live (it is legal in MOST parks and reserves)

but the other night i was calling clover and giving her a VERY firm drop command (she was eating somthing she should not have been eating) and completly igored me, so i tried come (still didnt work) i then saw a couple walking their dogs onlead and clover took off after them but decided to obey my last attempt at Drop, but i swear the people must have thought i was nuts calling out to clover who was ignoring me. but all was well.

well that was my loose dog story/rambling lol :o

I walk happy off leash all the time, but the only loose dog I have met is a black toy poodle a few blocks away the guy just lets th edog out and go's inside, I walk happy off leash liek I said, but as soon as I get near that house I leash happy and cross the street, the dog tried to come over on th eother side of the street before, but I kept saying "no, stay there doggie, stay there" and he backed back on to the sidewalk:p and I had a frind with a toy poodle named buffy, they did not have a yard so they just let buffy out front, right near a busy street, but the thing it, she never went anywhere she stayed on her front yard although it still sared the bejeebies out of me everytime they let her out like that. otherewise we dont have problems like, that, we have no dogparks to run out dogs in, so everyones dogs are well trained, so they can run there dogs without problems :)