Leash Laws

I live out in the country so I don't run into leash laws too much around my house. Usually if we go for a walk Yoshi is leashed. She stays by me me most of the time but I don't want her to get anywhere near close enough to someone's horses/chickens to mistake her for a wandering dog and shoot her. If I'm on my property she is unleashed.

When I go to Goose Island *it's an 'island' you can get to out on the lake by taking a really small raised dirt road* I'll let her go off leash. You can tell when you drive up if someone is there or not because you have to park right after reaching the island and it's almost always empty. The SECOND I think someone else is there I leash her though. There isn't a law and I know Yoshi will leave them alone but I don't leave anything to chance if I can help it.

When I go fishing at the dam Yoshi is always leashed. I know when I'm fishing if someone brings a dog and it starts going crazy and jumping in there I get annoyed. Also I want Yoshi right next to me so I can watch where she walks. Getting a hook out of her foot doesn't sound like fun.

When I go to the city she is on the leash. Period. I trust her. I do not trust other people or their dogs. Yoshi was attacked at the Dog Wash I go to by a 'friendly well trained' dog. Won't happen again if I can help it.



If a strange dog ran up to me, not just walked, ran like most of them do I would probably kick it. I've had plenty of run ins with 'friendly' dogs that are pretty hardcore 'mouthers'. It hurts like crap and it's not my job to deal with someone else's dog. I'm not going to hit it with a stick or carry a bat or anything like that but I will definitely kick an unknown dog who is rushing us in the face.

Aside from that a lot of people think their dogs are friendly and they aren't. I don't need my dog to develop a fear of a fun place because you are too lazy to keep a leash on your dog.

I hate to say it but in my mind my dog who is on a leash is more important than your dog and I'll protect her as such.



Yeah I can totally tell you didn't find it funny.


I don't carry a gun or weapon but like I said earlier wouldn't have a problem if I thought the dog was a threat to mine. IMO my dog is more important to me than yours. If yours is rushing mine I have absolutely no problem protecting the dog I love from your dog that you are too irresponsible to control.

The leash law here is 6 ft leads.

What I was most upset about is encountering a dog running around in an area I expected to be (and should have been) a calm, leashed environment. If I'm not expecting it, I can't avoid it.

And I'm worse than Hitler. We should be friends.

I think that's a fair question.

For me, I wouldn't own dogs then which would be torture. I'm super picky about the kind of dogs I like and I only really like the crazy active kind.

But, I also knew all these places I could go that I would be able to illegally let them off leash with minimail human contact. If I didn't have those and lived somewhere with parks like Fran posted then more than likely I wouldn't have dogs.

You have to understand, our laws here are pretty restrictive. No one follows them fully. You can't have leashes longer than 10 ft (possibly 6 but I can't remember) so no long lines or retractable leads, you can't tether your dogs in your yard so if you don't have a fence you are out of luck. So even the set up I have to let the dogs be outside with me in my own yard is illegal because they are tethered to the deck or tree.

So pretty much I really just decided I knew what I wanted in a breed which was active, active, active. Knew that there were places that people didn't frequent and that I could get away with letting him off and figured I would wing the rest.

I'm curious, do you see dogs retrieving in water the same thing as off leash? I ask because I've spoken to people before that won't let their dogs off leash normally but for fetch in water it's completely different and I can really see that.

ETA: I could probably exercise him without ever letting him off leash illegally. I really could. I would just be miserable. So yes, selfish reasons.

But I do. That's what I think you're missing. I do know I'm not being disruptive because there aren't people around. So yes, if there are people hiding in pushes or with snorkels under the water I might be bothering them. But I'm going to go with the likelihood that they aren't.

Or, the people could be lying to me if they are there and I ask him/her if it's ok (Typically a guy fishing off the bank on the other side) but I do have their permission.

So yeah, I do think it's safe to say there is a pretty good chance I'm not being disruptive.

Sorry for the double post but I had to :hail::hail: this post.


EDITED TO ADD: I guess it wasn't a double post XD

As far as how I exercise my dogs, we do a variety of things. For swimming Jack I have used a floating long line (one that is meant for retriever training). When I want to get away from it all with Sally I go to my mom's and use a harness and a flexi and walk for miles down her road and the little closed down side roads (it's in a wildlife preserve type area). We now have a fenced yard, but before we moved we lived next to a horse barn and used the indoor arena. We also have a training center the next county over that has a large indoor area and a indoor dog pool. I am actually planning on biking with Sally soon too.

We also capitalize on the space we have with certain toys that wear the dogs (Sally especially) without requiring much space.

Holy crap, this thread is at 9 pages.




And I can totally tell you didn't read any of my further responses on the matter.

If they're off leash, then yes--why wouldn't it be the same as off leash?

My main frustration is if the sign says "all dogs must be on a leash", then when I'm walking my leash reactive dog I do not expect to come across any dogs running, chasing, diving, or acting in stress-inducing manners.

As another example, my dog hates bikes. There are a few hiking trails around here that are commonly used by mountain bikers. I refrain from taking Lucy there, because I know that it's likely we'll run across bikes. Whatever, I can do that. What sucks is when I'm caught totally off guard--that we walk around the corner and see someone coming on a bike, despite the "no bike" signs at the trail head. Lucy goes nuts before I can react with cheese and get far enough away. The biker doesn't think he's done anything wrong--there was probably no one else on the trail the whole time, but it's a huge set back for me, that's happened more than once.

And I don't think any dog REQUIRES off leash time. There are plenty of ways to exercise your dog on a 4ft leash.

If you say asinine statements I'm going to comment on them. I actually did read the later statement but even having read it and going back and rereading the first one still doesn't come across as such.

It's a deal.



Yea, our experiences of public spaces and what's available are completely different. Like I said before, in a wild-ish area with no people around I would probably be less anal about it, but there's too many people doing too many things in the areas where I walk my dogs and leash laws apply. S'ok, I'm a city girl (although my city is a bit less city-ish than some).

True. But by god I would be miserable! And honestly, Traveler wouldn't be too happy with it either. He lives for off leash swims and runs.

It just seems different to me, and other people I've spoken to have said the same thing which is when I decided I wasn't crazy. I think it has to do with smaller openings, surrounded by water added to a "job" of retrieving. It just makes it seem like it's more... controlled?

Regardless I dont' think it would be different for Lucy!

If you don't feel that you are being disruptive, that's fine. That doesn't change the fact that when I am at a public place where it is illegal to have dogs off leash, and I see a dog off leash I feel it is disruptive.

ETA: I do swim Jack with a floating long line on. He would be fine off leash--especially when swimming (since swimming is VERY serious business when you are a lab), but if I'd rather just keep him on the line in case anyone says anything--our leash laws do not specify a length or type.

And that's cool, it probably is disruptive! I'm not denying that! Like I told you, you probably wouldn't see me or I would have your permission.

I'm glad I have more options open to me of being illegal while not being disruptive.

I'm beginning to think it may be an area thing, as well.

I mean, I'm in the city, but we are a very dog friendly city (save for the provincial BSL, but even then, as long as your dog is leashed and muzzled per provincial law, it is just as welcome). I can walk around, even downtown and run into very few places that I am absolutely not allowed to have my dog in, other than grocery stores for health reasons. Some of those places your pet has to be contained, but they are still allowed. Everybody brings their dog with them everywhere, and there's very little areas that dogs are simply not allowed.

I don't think there's anywhere I could walk and NOT expect to see a dog running around.

ETA: Where there IS a leash law, it states the leash cannot be longer than 6 feet, and must be handheld, can't be hands-free. So when my dog is on leash, it's breaking the law more than if she were off leash. The police and Animal Control (don't know what they are really called) people haven't batted an eye at us yet.

Yeah, that part of our law seriously sucks. It pretty much makes it impossible to do much if you are completely law abiding.

That floating rope, do you ever have trouble with it snagging on things in the water? I've looked at getting one but I've been worried about it catching on sticks and logs or plants under the water surface

Nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I hate having to do water retrieves around fisherman. I'm afraid Jack is going to try to retrieve a bobber one of these days...lol

I pulled a hook out of Traveler's fur today at the Quarry we go to. I'm always so worried about the stuff left behind.

And I shouldn't laugh because it would be horrible but the picture of a dog retrieving a bobber does make me giggle.

My dog doesn't get let loose to roam. She gets let loose for some structured exercise and retrieving with the chuck-it (and practicing running sits/downs/recalls) but it's not "here, go roam around and do whatever you want". She can roam in private places or at home. Parks and the like are for actual exercise.

Why can't you cope with keeping a dog on lead?

I'm shocked so many people can't cope with having a dog on lead, it isn't that hard. A lead is a little restricting but it still does the job of allowing your dog to run free if you're using a long run.

I'm not bagging anyone out because I let my Kelpie x off leash on school fields sometimes, that's it at the moment till her training is built up more. She's a year and 9 months. I own a Lab x who is 5 and a few months and has always been leashed unless in a fenced area because he has a crap recall (something we are finally working on).

It's great when a dog can be off leash but it doesn't hurt to have a dog on leash.

And CLEARLY not directed at you, or your posts. I'm not going to pretend that I'm perfect, but I honestly think that people (not dogs) need to cut other people and their dogs some slack. If you feel threatened by a dog, by all means, take appropriate actions. But if you don't, why react with violence?

Sometimes I think that, around here, either everyone but me is a perfect or almost perfect owner (may be the case!) or people feel like they need to pretend like they are. Here, I'm honestly not pointing any fingers because it's totally a tangent that has nothing to do with prior posts. I guess I'm just trying to say that we're all human, and we make mistakes, and I really hope that my (sweet, sensitive, wholly nonthreatening) dog doesn't interact with someone who would act in a violent manner because *I* screwed up.