Jenn Martinelli Blogging in Boston

Dog Knower wrote at 2007-10-03 13:12:

Ever wonder why your dog is friendly at home but not so much when you have it on a leash? The evidence is already out there, over and over again, that dogs that lack proper socialization outside of the home often tend toward aggressive behavior once put on a lead. A dog cannot get proper socialization while on a lead because it is physically restrained. Leash laws only promote more bad dog behavior. Learn to lead your dog without a leash and maybe next time you will not have to tackle your dog just to keep him from being a jerk outside of the home. Looks like your dog missed out on potentially fun romp but your training habits of using a leash prevented it. Such a misguided pity.

Jenn wrote at 2007-10-03 14:39:

Wow, I love assvice from "dog experts" like this guy/gal. How helpful! You mean if my dog was properly socialized he would be friendlier? You are a genius.

The problem is not that my dog is on a leash, the problem is that my dog wasn't properly socialized, which I'll agree with you about. HOWEVER, I will never agree that the solution to dog issues is to have everyone take their dog around without a leash constantly. That's just stupid, so you're wrong there.

Every dog is different obviously. I've owned dogs my whole life, some more friendly than others, some nervous, some easygoing, some who listened to me, some who didn't. They were all my dogs so they obviously were in the same environment. They all were trained the same except this dog, who actually went to obedience training multiple times, while none of the others did. Different breeds are different, mutts are all unique, etc.

I don't care what your opinion about leashes is, there are laws in the city and they're for good reason. I've seen many people who claim they can control their dogs without a leash become suddenly unable to control their dogs off the leash. You can't predict your dog's behavior constantly. You don't know how they'll react to every possible new situation, etc. This is a city. There are a lot of people and dogs. The law is that your dog is on a leash when it's outside your home. If my dog isn't particularly friendly to strangers and strange dogs, that's not anyone's problem if they are following the rules, except my own and his because he doesn't get to socialize like he would probably prefer. And where is your criticism of the person who had his dog off leash who obviously had no control over him?

People who are breaking the law are the ones who are wrong. Always. I'm afraid you're the misguided one.

Rob wrote at 2007-10-03 15:22:

I agree with Jenn, this boils down to a simple matter of following the rules. There may be a number of other issues related to this post but thankfully we don't need to consider any of them because the leash laws are very clear.

As far as the appropriateness of leash laws is concerned... it's a big city with a lot of people, animals, traffic, etc all packed tightly together. Dogs can't be made to understand the situations we put them in, so they should be restrained for their own safety.

It is my opinion that people who take dogs off leash in cities are irresponsible people who care more about their own enjoyment, comfort, and lifestyle than their dog's well being. Your dog may have been out and about every day of her life but that is not adequate preparation every possible situation. It only takes one unfortunate incident to ruin the rest of your dogs life or end it altogether.

Moreover we must make a distinction between social or friendly dogs and well trained dogs. Friendly dogs torment people who are afraid of dogs. However irrational that fear may be, it isn't any less real to a phobic person. It's really not your place to decide for everyone else that they must deal with your friendly dog. There are people who will be afraid and intimidated by your dog simply because she is off leash, whether or not your dog approaches them.

Certainly dogs should be given the opportunity to play, explore, and socialize, but there is a time and a place and city streets are not the right place.

Everyone who lives in a city with a dog, esp active, inquisitive breeds or large dogs have already done their pet a huge disservice by moving them to a city in the first place. The least you can do is look out for their safety and make sure that they are abiding by the rules established by the community in which you both live. You don't get to choose the laws you obey and that's really in everyone's best interest. If I could pick and choose which laws I wanted to abide by, then I'd choose to throw things at dog owners who take their dogs off leash in the city. Luckily for you, I don't get to disregard assault laws whenever I feel like it. Luckily for me, you don't get to disobey leash laws. Everyone is happy.

Phyllis wrote at 2007-10-08 07:27:

I agree with Jenn and Rob. I have had dogs all my life also. When I was a child, it was pretty common for people to just let their dogs outside without any supervision. We had a dog who was very friendly and wouldn't hurt anyone. However, she never learned how to safely navigate the streets and was hit by a car twice. It is not right to put a dog in that situation. You also never know when someone is going to deliberately torment your dog. There are a lot of mean people out there who will coax a dog into an unsafe situation, hit or kick them for "fun", or any number of other things. I don't understand why someone would not want to protect their dog, expecially in the city. This makes me think of all those people who don't believe in wearing seatbelts, helmets while riding motorcycles, or putting their children in car seats. But then that's another issue.......