Leash Laws: I Approve - Why Don't You?

I may tick some folks off today, but I'm doing a rant on leash laws.

I approve, mightily, of leash laws. Both for dogs and cats. I approve of regular exercise for your pets, but I don't approve of people who let their pets run wild.

Carmel is a really good dog. She loves us and we love her and within the confines of our house, she runs as free as she likes. We have a fenced in backyard, which is a good size, so she gets to run back there, also. Whenever we walk Carmel, which is daily unless the weather is too inclement, she is on a leash. She has always been walked on a leash. In our old suburb, there was a strick leash law and, being a law-abiding citizen, I would not consider walking Carmel without a leash. Besides, having her on a leash makes her easier to control in an altercation.

Therein lies the problem: many other dog owners believe their friendly little (or big) puppy will be so with every other human and dog out for a walk, and so they do not use a leash.

This is just so wrong. Not only because most suburbs and cities have leash laws, but because it's not fair to the animals. (this article shows how some cities are now enforcing leash laws with fines)

Carmel is not used to other dogs. She has lived with us as a single dog her entire life. She doesn't know how to act with other dogs.

This may be our own fault - for not introducing her to other dogs when she was a puppy, and it may play to her personality: she's highly protective of us. But neither of those things matter. What matters is that just like small children, you cannot predict how your dog will act when he or she meets a strange dog on the street. And, you shouldn't put her at risk, because you want everyone to get along. Even good dogs, friendly dogs, can turn on the other pet, for reasons unknown to mere humans.

I know there are dog parks where folks can take their pets to be off-leash. We're considering one locally, and that seems like a good solution. For folks who have friendly pets, pets that are happy-go-lucky and like to play with each other, a dog park is a great place to go.

But, for us...when we're out walking Carmel and we see a dog running loose...we shudder a little. Meetings with energetic pups (and many full-grown dogs act like pups, to everyone's amusement, usually) can turn bad, fast. Not 'real' bad...mostly just uncomfortable bad. Because, at 14 years, Carmel isn't sure what to expect of these upstarts. She's pretty wary - from a doggy-perspective. From a human perspective, we're wary because we'd like to make friends with the other dog, but we have to take care of our own dog, first. That means crossing the street and shooing the other dog along.

So, we don't go to dog parks. And, we keep a watch out for dogs that are off leash around our neighborhood. And, no...we don't run home to report them. In our area, their owners are always close by and usually they take matters in their own hands, so to speak. Having the owner close by is of little comfort when the owner cannot control the dog, though. Which happens.

And which is why we approve of leash laws. Teach your dog to walk on a leash. It's good for the dog, good for the neighbors, and good for you. A dog trained to walk on a leash is a well-behaved animal.

I'll get into cats another time. Suffice it to say - cats should be indoors. Just Ask Dr. Larry.