RutlandH2O
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't risk him off lead on a road or in town - he's a dog - but in a suitable area, he will be off lead.
For me, having a dog on lead is not a form of penalisation, in the same way a dog crate used to housebreak a pup should never be used as punishment. My definition of "in a public place" means on roads or in towns. A suitable place for dogs off lead would have to be parks where there are dedicated areas for dogs. I posted, some time ago, that I thought having unleashed dogs on bridleways was dangerous, for dogs, horses, and people. I was shot down for that. Yes, there are responsible dog owners, like yourself, who have the knowledge and control of their dogs. However, there are more than just a few dog owners who see dogs off lead and think it's cool and just let their animals go. I see it here all the time. There is an attitude of entitlement that says "my dog, my decision to leave off lead" and the rest of the world be damned. Two JRTs were killed on the railroad tracks, off lead, with owner walking further behind the dogs. A farmer shot and killed a labrador bitch and injured a lab dog because they were allowed to wander onto the farmer's land, dive into his lake and drown two commercial geese. Both dogs were owned by country people with land who should have known better. Their other bitch, a lovely, animal, spent most of her days snuffling about other people's gardens, narrowly escaping being killed by virtually every person in this tiny village because she was always on the road. Another JRT (brother of my bitch) spent every day on roads, driveways, gardens of everyone else's land (and leaving his little calling cards everywhere). There are only 12 properties in my village and some of these do have responsible dog owners. One woman had taken to walking her dogs with a cricket bat to protect her bitches from the JRT.
What I'm attempting to convey is a sense of utter frustration with the irresponsible off lead owners. Coming from a residential area in the US, where there were strict leash laws, it was a pleasure to go about dog walking, jogging, picnicking, what have you, without fear of dog attacks or being chased by a loose dog. There were designated dog parks where I taught show handling and grooming of an evening under great lighting, or during the day on weekends.