The dogs-on-leash versus free-range-dogs debate can get contentious, especially in a town that is growing fast, has a five-dogs-to-one-person ratio, and one off-leash dog park. Just mention a dog off its leash on Facebook and watch the comment thread unravel for hours.
There are your die-hard, all-dogs-should-be-on-leash-at-all-times people, who think all dogs — yes, all dogs — are unpredictable, all dogs are “dogs”, all dogs can be vicious, and no dog can be trusted at all times.
Then there are the dogs-are-people-too, man, my-dog-is-perfect-and-would-never-cause-a-problem, actually-it’s-your-dog-that-is-the-problem people.
They tend to be firmly in one or the other camp, and they tend to dislike each other.
I agree with the first group. Dogs can be unpredictable, and they can get scrappy. Sometimes things do get vicious. Dogs are dogs, and if there are too many of them in a pack it can tip over from play to aggressive in a matter of seconds. But usually these moments pass and they are playing together again the next minute. Dogs move on — it’s the owners that make things awkward.
Common sense should prevail when it comes to our dogs. If you have a dog that doesn’t come when you call her, or tends to be aggressive or overly — physical — shall we say, then yeah, keep her on a leash. If your dog listens to you and tends to avoid trouble rather than get involved in scuffles, oh and if you trust her to not run into traffic if she gets spooked or sees a salami sandwich on the other side of the street, then fill your boots and go off leash.
My dog listens, heels, safely scoots away when threatened, and is for the most part intelligent enough to not get himself killed — for example, he stops at intersections and waits to be told when to cross (I know, aren’t I special?). But I still leash him around traffic, because he has been known to bolt when scared. I don’t think it’s safe to have a dog off leash in places where he could get hurt. Even the smartest, most well-trained dogs in the world have their moments of instinct.
But on a trail? In the woods? If a dog is well-behaved and can stay out of the way, then let him run. What’s the harm? I understand some people are afraid of dogs. But I’d say it’s safe to say that 99.99% of people in this town love dogs and want more dogs, dogs all the time, bring on the dogs. Have you seen the way a kid’s face lights up when she sees a dog?
If everyone used common sense and took responsibility for their pets, there wouldn’t be issues. If your dog chases wildlife, leash him. Lots of dogs don’t chase wildlife – in fact I’d say there are more dogs that don’t interfere with wildlife than do.
Most dogs get along most of the time. Confining all dogs to their leashes 100% of the time doesn’t make sense. And, let’s face it, it’s just kind of a bummer.
