Off Leash Dog in On Leash Area

[DanLu5]

As much as I avoid off leash areas sometimes we encounter other people's dogs off leash throughout the city. On the morning of New Year's Day Logan and I were walking our usual route through the city which goes through a mix of urban, park and river land. As we approached a spot where park land transitioned to parking lot before transitioning back to parkland I saw an owner that I often see who chooses to walk his 2 dogs off leash. Note the dogs are large labs and this is definitely not an off leash area. We were a few hundred feet apart and the owner saw me so I paused with Logan and waited for the owner to put his dog on leash however his other dog was no where to be see.

We were walking in opposite directions and passed by the owner and his now leashed dog at a distance. We kept moving through the parking lot towards a police cruiser that was idling in the otherwise empty parking lot. When we were about halfway through the parking lot I heard yelling from behind and sure enough the owner's 2nd dog was off leash and now charging straight towards Logan and I. The owner was attempting to call and run after his loose dog but he is quite fat so had no chance of catching up to the dog or even arriving at our location quickly. We were several hundred feet from the dog at this point so I had time to think of how I wanted to approach the situation. I figured there was no where to go so no point in trying to leave so I decided to wait and give Logan a slack leash. I find that sometimes a tense leash can cause him to be more reactive. If the leash is loose and the other dog approaches is a non aggressive manner Logan will often meet off leash dogs nicely.

Unfortunately not this time. The dog continued charging at us at full speed and as soon as he was close Logan put him down and pinned him. Fortunately Logan is a strong 75lbs. The loose dog was likely that size or larger. I called Logan off and told him to leave the dog which he did but as soon as the dog was free he began to circle us and kept attempting to come at us. Still the owner was nowhere close. Fortunately while this was happening I heard the police cruiser come towards us and as the dog was continuing to circle us the officer got between Logan and I and the loose dog. He had his extendable club out and was attempting to scare the dog off with his voice but when the dog would try to get close he'd hit him. As soon as I knew the police officer was close to us and had our backs I switched from trying to make sure Logan didn't get hurt to making sure he didn't hurt the police officer lol. Because at this point Logan was PISSED OFF!

Anyways a few seconds later and the police officer had succeeded in scaring off the other dog who decided he didn't like getting hit anymore and wandered back to his owner. The officer asked if we were ok - which we were and I thanked him for his help. As we left he went to speak with the other owner

The whole incident made me think two things. The first was that I was glad that a trained third party person could see which dog and owner were in the wrong because I find that my big scary Dutch Shepherd has a lot of stigma attached to him. And others (especially toy dog owner) are often horrified just at the site of Logan and react as if they are appalled I'd own such a beast. Does anyone else find this?

So overall I was proud my dog was good and that the police officer could see that. The second thought I had was what would I have done if the officer wasn't around? Fortunately in this case Logan would likely have not been the dog that got hurt but even if someone's dog is off leash they don't deserve to wind up injured because their owner isn't responsible. It just seems like too many people are of the opinion that they can walk their dogs off leash and not be responsible if something goes wrong. It really bugs me! I feel like the ones they are really endangering the most is their own dogs which is really sad. What do you guys think?

[centrop67]

Off leash dogs...

There's a time and a place.

There was a guy walking his giant off-leash dog through my neighborhood this week from his golf cart.

I was just arriving home, and I was waiting for him to leave, because I didn't want Radar or Leela to bolt out the door after him. This guy had ZERO recall on this dog.

No incident, but I often wonder what people are thinking?

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

That sucks. H and I walk on a bike trail that sometimes people let their dogs off leash on (against city ordinances) and there's a park with a large field that is routinely used by dog owners as a "play ball" field, luckily never more than two dogs at a time there. There's also a nature preserve that people ALWAYS let the dogs off leash to play in the stream and the dog runs off. I can't tell you how many dogs come charging at us with the owners walking behind yelling "they're friendly!" Makes me so mad - and they NEVER have a recall. I've seen some in empty pet stores where the owner purposely drops the leash that yes are completely friendly and submissive but also have no recall so you hear "Bob here... here... here Bob... Bob... Here Bob... Bob here..." Sigh.

When H and I are alone and a unknown dog walks up to us first thing I do is turn away and walk away. If the dog is charging, I carry a fold out baton and keep H behind me and either slam it on the ground (it makes an awful noise) or make moves towards the dog. I have a friend who carries a taser and zaps it in the air. If the dog is in drive and it's not being deterred, I prepare for the fight. In that case, I personally know H won't bite me hard so I'm more worried about the other dog getting his teeth on me.

In either case I always carry a pared down first aid kit for H and I - just in case of a bad attack - and I practice fireman carrying him because I cannot front carry a 65 lbs dog.

[Dutchringgirl]

wow! So glad everyone was okay. I would have pooped in my pants if that happened. Mrs Sadie would be all over that dog. I have them both in prongs when we go out just for that extra power steering.

[flannelsleven]

If you’ve got an older dog, maybe some of this sounds sadly familiar. You used to go outside and play for hours. At the dog park, those other hounds could never hope to keep up with your quick-footed canine. Your furry friend could easily jump over most obstacles, so putting up pet gates at home was practically futile. But now, things are different. Playtime has dwindled down to a half-hearted romp with a pull toy. Your pup struggles to get in and out of cars. Everything seems to elicit groans of discomfort — from climbing stairs to curling up on the couch. Are these the telltale signs of arthritis in dogs?





Arthritis isn’t that uncommon among older dogs. Larger breeds may tend to struggle more because of sheer size, but smaller pups certainly aren’t immune. Likewise, the affliction isn’t necessarily exclusive to elderly animals.

“Typical age of onset often depends upon genetics,” notes Dr. Lisa McIntyre, owner and founder of The Welcome Waggin’ mobile veterinary service. “Large breeds are more prone to elbow and hip dysplasia. Small breeds are susceptible to patellar luxation and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD). That first group can actually start showing symptoms at one or two years of age, if they’re afflicted. Though sometimes, we don’t see clinical signs until age seven or older, when joint deterioration and arthritis have begun.”