“Keep your dog on the bloody leash” – A Rant

If there’s one thing I can’t stand more than Sydney traffic, pseudoscience and a badly made cup of tea, it’s off leash dogs.

I know you probably just said “what a tosser” to yourself, so let me explain myself before you go storming off on a high of self righteousness.

*Conditions Apply

What I’m talking about (generally) is off leash dogs anywhere that has not been designated as a legal off leash area by local council.

If you only let your dog off leash in designated off leash areas, good on you.
(Although I STRONGLY encourage you to review whether your dog should be let off leash at all. Does your dog have near-perfect recall? If not, it probably shouldn’t be off leash, ever.)

If you are constantly letting your dog off leash regardless of the location, or you walk your dog regularly without a leash, please, for the love of dog, read on.

Why it’s good to not be a jerk

If you are one of the above mentioned people, I’m sorry to be the one to inform you, but you are in fact being a jerk.

I know it may not seem like it and I know you’ve probably never been told directly before, but let me assure you, that you are in fact being a jerk.

Photo related: dogs can also be jerks.

But WHY am I a jerk?

Because you Sir, are doing the wrong thing. There are several very good reasons that council asks you to keep your dog on leash at all times outside designated off leash areas, and here are a few:

• most dogs have no traffic sense
• many people do not appreciate being approached by your dog
• it is harder to keep track of your dog and its waste and hence clean up after it
• it puts native wildlife and bush regeneration programs in the area under increased threat
• certain areas may have high levels of foot traffic and many young children, not a particularly good mix for a dog not under your direct control

Believe it or not, council don’t make up every single law to be jerks – in fact, many of them encourage YOU not to be jerks.

The REAL reason it irks me

The above is in no way diminished by what I’m about to say, but above and beyond everything else there’s one reason I hate seeing dogs off leash outside off leash areas: other dogs.

“I’m SOOOOOOO friendly”

All too often, in ON LEASH areas, I encounter dog owners whose (often small) dog will come bounding up to mine, while (from a kilometre away) they yell:

don’t worry, he’s friendly!

That’s all well and good, but do you have any idea whether or not my dog is? Do you know if my dog is anxious when approached by other dogs? Do you know if my dog is leash reactive? Do you know if my dog is well socialised or not? Do you know if my dog has any contagious pathogens? Do you know anything at all?

No, you don’t.

When people choose to walk their dogs in any area without an “off leash” sign, they should reasonably expect not to be assaulted by “friendly” dogs “just wanting to say hello”. I don’t care if your dog is the nicest, sweetest, friendliest dog in the whole god damn world – I have chosen to walk here because I do not want to encounter other dogs off leash and I have as much right to be here with my dog as you do.

If you are selfish and can’t follow very simple rules because it’s too hard to walk or drive somewhere off leash, you make life very difficult for many other dog owners.

No one likes being a jerk, so let’s see if we can fix that. If everyone reading this promises to never let their dog off leash outside designated public areas, we can make the world a better place.

Atlas would like to add that being walked on leash is really not all that bad. Definitely not as good as chicken necks, but much less bad than having your ears cleaned.

With love (and a bit of anger),