[Vent] I wish people would obey leash-laws

I know you had good intentions, but what if your dog got hurt? What if someone were to see your dog as a threat? People that are phobic of dogs see a scary dog running at them, even if the dog has friendly body language. They may act defensively by kicking the dog, throwing something at the dog, or pepper spraying the dog if they have that with them. Then your dog gets hurt.

And what if the dog causes an allergic reaction to the person? What if the person breaks out in hives, or even gets anaphylaxis and dies?

Of course these are worst case scenarios, but they can very well happen. I wrote in a previous comment of a dog that I witnessed get kicked in the balls for jumping up on a jogger. The dog was friendly, just wanted to lick her face. But she got scared and had a kneejerk reaction and ended up leaving the dog on the ground, yelping.

Dogs can be just as happy on-leash as they are off-leash. Mine is walked on a 15' lead on a harness most of the time (no discomfort on the neck or throat) and is able to run and sniff where he likes, and he's happy. Sometimes he's on his 6' leash and he likes that too. And I don't have to worry about him scaring other dog owners, chasing a rabbit into the street and getting hit by a car, or approaching other dogs.

I'm also very sorry you lost your dog to cancer. I lost a dog to cancer a few years ago.

/r/dogs Thread Parent