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Off leash threats

1K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  triciakoontz 
#1 ·
After reading about Nova I just couldn't stop thinking of her and her owner. I may be over emotional at he moment as we put our baby down on Saturday, but I just can't stop thinking and yes crying for them all.

I understand the boy walking his two GS may have a handicap and didn't know how to respond to his two dogs attacking Nova and I am sure he and his parents possibly feel terrible and are paying the vet bills. Regardless!!! Nova was attacked suffering injuries, her owner is now suffering a terrible loss due to an act that was totally avoidable.

I personally feel NO dog should be off leash unless you are on your own property or at a location for that exact purpose. Most cities have a leash law for very good reasons even though they have the law many don't follow them. Tonight Houston news has an article about our police shooting dogs I am presuming due to the dogs attacking them.

We live in a nice community with very strict POA laws stating pets are to be on leash when walking but I see people out with their dogs jogging without a leash all the time. One Labrador runs over to the people playing golf and takes the golf balls the owner of the dog laughs.

Reading Nova's story has me thinking it is a good idea to carry something to protect not only myself but my dog too. As our neighborhood is gated I haven't thought to carry anything for protection especially walking a huge dog, but this story has taught me I had a false sense of security.

I appreciate your thoughts and ideas of how to correct this issue we really need to educate people on the dangers of not leashing their dog.
 
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#3 ·
Nova's story is heartbreaking.

An attack from an off-leash dog is a big fear for me. There are many dogs around me that are left off-leash even though they have attacked dogs in the past. I always carry pepper spray or something stronger if I take my dogs out in my neighborhood. I would feel horrible to hurt a dog especially when it was their human that failed them but I will do what I can to protect my dogs.
I am interested in hearing what others have to say.
 
#4 · (Edited)
While I am unaware of the story you are referring to, and while I agree that the vast majority of people should keep their dogs leashed, I also have a hard time with leash laws sometimes. I would like to be able to take my dogs for an off-leash hike or just to play fetch in a nearby field, with my two friendly, aloof, well trained, handler and toy focused dogs who are not going to run up to other dogs or people. I keep my dogs under control and make sure they're not allowed to ever, on leash or not, disturb other people. So sometimes I find it aggravating that I have nowhere to exercise my well behaved dogs other than an off-leash park, because I find many off-leash parks to be downright dangerous and don't care to let my dogs run with strange dogs.

But, responsible and knowledgeable dog owners seem few and far between outside of the internet forum world, so I definitely understand why leash laws are in place. And I appreciate them when I come across aggressive dogs or out of control dogs. There's nothing that scares me more when I'm out with my dogs than an off leash, out of control dog barreling toward me and my dogs. And having had a reactive dog, I don't even like friendly dogs approaching my dogs. People need to understand that when they're out with their dogs, they should have control over them and not just assume every person and dog you come across loves your dog. It is very unfortunate and heartbreaking that so many people have had such awful experiences. I have experienced, with a past dog and one of my current dogs, an off leash dog attacking my dogs when I was walking them on leash. Thankfully neither dog was damaged, but it's an absolutely awful experience.

I don't feel that we necessarily need certain laws to be in place, but just better educated, knowledgeable pet owners. But, that likely won't ever happen, and until then, at least most people do abide by leash laws so that fewer incidences like this happen.

Funny thing is though, in areas without leash laws, I find that dog owners actually are more respectful and knowledgeable. I know people who live in a town without leash laws and it's so nice just to be able to run or walk a dog wherever there, and very, very rarely is there ever an incident. Everyone respectfully keeps to themselves and just enjoys their playing with their dogs.
 
#7 ·
Nova's story was very sad...especially knowing that her owner was doing everything right and it was somebody else's mistake that caused it.

Funny that I am reading this after I JUST got done yelling at somebody whose 2 ankle biters were off leash chasing after my 3 dogs that were leashed and behaving while on our walk. That is not typical behavior for me, but I am sick of my leashed dogs getting chased down several times a week while out walking. Just last week my pit bull got bit in the butt by a min schnauzer while the owner laughed. I didn't cause any commotion over that because there wasn't damage done...but you know if that attack was reversed, I would have been in huge trouble.

*Rant over* However, I'm really interested in to see what people have to say about what to do in this situation because I personally could use some ideas.


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#11 ·
What a terrible story to read about Nova. I feel terrible for her.

This scares me all the time. Luckily most of the dogs I have seen off leash have been little ones but I still get annoyed because I don't want my puppy to become a reactive adult because of an incident with an off leash dog while he is a puppy. It drives me crazy how many people have their dogs in their yards with no leash while I walk the neighborhood. I just don't understand how people can be so careless, but I guess I shouldn't be this suprised. :rolleyesww:
 
#12 · (Edited)
I have a dog with health issues, who could be seriously injured if an off-leash dog jumps on him. That being said, if it's a dog that's under control and leaving my dog alone, I don't have as much of an issue with it. There are some folks who walk their lab/poodle mix off leash in my neighborhood, and that dog won't even look at mine. He stays in a heel next to his handler.

But if it is a dog that's out of control, I have no problem taking steps to keep it away from mine. That includes kicking it or doing something else to it if I have to. I don't relish the thought of hurting someone else's dog, but if you're breaking the leash laws and have zero control over your dog, I will protect Griffin. My dog is not going to be seriously injured because you couldn't control your dog.

Of course, if I'm walking Little Dog, she's dog aggressive and will try to kill it. Logan would have too, when he was alive. And for that, I'm very thankful that my state's laws protect the dog that's on leash. Honestly, if an off leash dog runs up to me, I have very little time to react, especially if I don't see it coming. I've had three dog fights from that happening. One resulted in a $500 vet bill, the other one the attacking dog was injured, and the third neither dog was injured but man was the other owner pissed that I hit their dog with a hiking stick. If that dog had connected with Logan, it would have been dead. I knew Logan was dog aggressive and he was always on leash, but he was a big Dobe and he could easily kill a smaller dog. I just don't want to take the chance, so I walked with a hiking stick just in case.

So basically, I don't take chances. If the dog's under control, I'll give a verbal warning that my dog is injured, or in Little Dog's case, aggressive and ask them to keep their distance. If it's out of control, a verbal warning if there's enough space and a physical intervention if it gets too close.
 
#13 ·
That story is so, so sad. I hate even more it didn't have a happy ending. :(

When Striker was a baby, I was walking home from the park with him. A large breed mixed dog can running up towards us growling. I quickly crossed the street, scooped Striker in my arms (I could still carry him then), and took off. Luckily, traffic soon followed and the dog waited. He stared us down, but there was enough traffic where we could get pretty far ahead. I hate to think about what might have happened. :( We have a leash law in our city, but it's not as enforced as it should be. This dog was just loose in it's yard. I can't pick Striker up at all anymore so even though the park is only 1/4 mile away, I drive him there for walks now. I don't want to chance running into that dog again, and it's the only path to the park from my home.

I have dropped Striker's leash during walks to try to work with him in small bits off leash, but I can grab his leash really fast if we approach anyone or if a car is coming. We don't have a dog park, but I do sometimes use the gated baseball fields to let him play in unleashed. :)
 
#14 ·
I have no problem with dogs that are "under control" being off-leash, but some people have more generous definitions of that than others.

Dogs that are not well-behaved and pose a risk to other animals or humans, especially wildlife and livestock, have no business being off-leash (and thus out-of-control) in public areas, period.

Can't fail to mention that leash laws are for the safety of the dogs themselves, too. If they're not under control, they could bolt into traffic, become unplanned parents, get shot, or pick-up diseases from stray animals & wildlife if they aren't supervised and able to be called-off.
 
#15 ·
Off leash dogs are a pet peave of mine. Coco has been nipped twice by an offleash small dog and Soter has actually been bit once by an offleash pit bull.

I would never blame the dog, no matter what the breed. Just the irresponsible owners. That being said, I will do whatever it takes to protect my pups. We have the "wolf beating stick" and the spray with us at all times.

I also routinely report offleash animals to the bylaw department (imagine how popular I am :D). My biggest fear is that one of the Dobes will kill one of these small dogs that go after them. Because of the breed I just know they will be blamed. I have told all owners and bylaw officers that if (God forbid) such a thing happens, I take no responsibility. I have also made it clear that I will defend my pups.

Don't mess with the Dober-mom :roflmao:
 
#20 ·
I agree wholeheartedly! Off leash dogs who are off their own property are also a pet peeve of mine. If you have a dog and it needs exercise, it is not your RIGHT to let it run free on property that you don't own and/or that has requirements for dogs being leashed. Claiming that your dogs are "well-trained" is not an excuse for trespassing or breaking regulations/laws for public places.

I have 2 friends whose dogs on leash were both attacked; one dog received serious injuries from a GSD attack and one dog was killed by a Pit who shook him to death in an instant. Both friends were walking in Duke Forest, which has an extensive set of public trails in our area; the whole of Duke Forest requires dogs to be on leash and there are many signs.

In my opinion, people who allow their dogs to run off-leash on private property or leash-regulated areas are just selfish and, often, too lazy to find appropriate outlets for their dogs to be off leash. One of my friends has a powerful phobia that affects her strongly when she sees off-leash dogs because she was attacked in childhood and has many scars. She has spent boatloads of money on therapy. She loves to hike. She goes to trails where dogs are supposed to be on leash because she has the right to use them and not feel threatened by a dog that was allowed to run free by its thoughtless owner.

DOGS MUST BE LEASHED means just that. Your opinion that your dog is "well-trained" and "should be allowed off leash" has no more to do with this VERY SIMPLE concept than what color underwear you are wearing. So you have a nice field near your house, so your dog comes when called, so WHAT? Someone else owns that property, pays for taxes and insurance on it, and has the right to make the rules. YOU have no rights on that property.

Whew! Can you tell I'm on my soapbox? I lecture people who let their dogs run off-leash when I see them on the trails. I report them if possible. They deserve it.

I carry pepper spray. What is the "wolf stick"?
 
#16 ·
It's funny, I was literally just thinking of making a thread about this very topic.

I just do not know but I am thinking there must be SOMETHING that can be done to get dogs to back off or how to handle the situation. I did beat the dogs off eventually but obviously it still took a long time and I had to worry about getting injured myself. Plus, I will have to deal with these same dogs in the area for when I decide to get a new dog.

While, on one hand I do not mind people having dogs offleash,there must be something that can be done to protect your dog for when it does happen. I am working on googling it now but if any of you have experience with this
 
#17 ·
I swear I encountered more loose dogs yesterday that we normally do in a week.... If they just stand there, even if they are barking, I don't mind. If they come after us, that's when things get dicey. If they are just curious, I simply try to keep Ilka from eating them. If they are barking, or otherwise being territorial, I'll yell at them, and threaten them with the loose ends of the leashes. If they are coming at us like they are going to start something, they are very likely to get a face full of pepper spray. If I have to spray them, I call Animal Services.
 
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#18 ·
I live in a resort town where people come up for the weekends and just let their dogs roam at will. We have a couple of dogs during the warm months that are "just visiting" that will come and chase anyone or anything. Last year I was nearly attacked by a lab mix when I was getting my mail from my mailbox. I have to take my dogs out of the neighborhood to walk them safely while they are leashed, and then I still have to worry about other dogs off leash, because I have dobie and a pitbull. If a dog attacked one of them, I'm afraid that one of my boys would get the blame because of reputations of the breeds, and their both huge babies.

Another pet peeve is dog owners that have retrackable leashes and think its ok for their dogs to come running up to other dogs on leashes. Here in Michigan, there is a campaign for yellow ribbons on leashes, to let other dog owners know that the dog may have issues or be sick and to give the dog space. I think its a great idea, but not everyone may practice it or respect the ribbon, but its a good start on letting other people who are walking their dogs to give other dogs some space.
 
#19 ·
I live in a resort town where people come up for the weekends and just let their dogs roam at will. We have a couple of dogs during the warm months that are "just visiting" that will come and chase anyone or anything. Last year I was nearly attacked by a lab mix when I was getting my mail from my mailbox. I have to take my dogs out of the neighborhood to walk them safely while they are leashed, and then I still have to worry about other dogs off leash, because I have dobie and a pitbull. If a dog attacked one of them, I'm afraid that one of my boys would get the blame because of reputations of the breeds, and their both huge babies.

Another pet peeve is dog owners that have retrackable leashes and think its ok for their dogs to come running up to other dogs on leashes. Here in Michigan, there is a campaign for yellow ribbons on leashes, to let other dog owners know that the dog may have issues or be sick and to give the dog space. I think its a great idea, but not everyone may practice it or respect the ribbon, but its a good start on letting other people who are walking their dogs to give other dogs some space.
Yeah, the lady in Petsmart with the overweight Yorkie the other day has no idea how fortunate she was that I had taken Lucky to the vet that day, instead of Ilka. It wasn't a flexi, but a longer leash (maybe 8 or 9 feet), and she let the dog run right up to Lucky, who was like "Who the heck are you, and what are you doing in my face?" Even after I asked her to please get her dog away from him, she didn't reel it in. If that had been Ilka, it wouldn't have been pretty, and Ilka would have been the one blamed. :mad:

By the way, I am on super-alert whenever I take Ilka out to places like Petsmart or Petco, and will ask people to please keep their dogs (and kids) back, because "She's not always friendly". I also try to keep myself between her and any other dogs.
 
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