ohhh Oakley, hahah!

[Angel Chicken]

Wow... I thought it was a pretty funny story. Coulda been worse, but it wasn't... so why throw a bitch fit over it? I mean seriously people!

Kona is hardly EVER on a leash. I'm serious. We live near a major road, with no sidewalks, and she hardly ever wears a leash. Jess has seen how good Kona is... she stays around and never goes far. I only leash her when we are going to Maiden or Petsmart... any other time she is walking happily by my side.

I don't consider this bad. If that would have been Kona (who can jump 6' fences, by the way), I would have laughed my ass off as well.

Pick your fights people. Ain't so sense in fighting over something so silly... {edited my mod}

 

[Labra]

Kona is hardly EVER on a leash. I'm serious. We live near a major road, with no sidewalks, and she hardly ever wears a leash.

Congratulations. What a responsible, shining example of a dog owner you are. Sadly, it is people like you and the OP's dogs who end up being hit and killed on the road. Then, you look to place the blame elsewhere. "Oh, Fluffy was such a good dog. He ever wore a leash and never strayed far. I blame the person driving the car."

How I wish people would apply a little common sense when it comes to dog ownership. They are DOGS, people. Not little furry robots that never step a pawpad out of place. What makes it even sadder is that these "naturally well behaved" dogs I guarantee have received little in the way of formal training. But what does it matter, eh? who needs training if they are "well behaved"?

USE A FREAKING LEASH. The rest of the world manage. Responsible dog owners cringe in disgust at those who think they are above the law, or those that think they are fantastic trainers because Fluffy can walk along a road without a leash. Yes, it is something to be proud of - putting your dog and other peoples lives in danger. REAL proud.

 

[Labra]

And yes it is RUDE to let your dog off leash where it is highly inappropriate. Unless your dog is leashed, it is NOT under control. When the law says a dog should be leashed, it should be leashed, and just because you THINK your dog is under control does not make you the exception to that rule.

If it is a safe and legal off leash area, that is different. But a residential neighbourhood, alongside a road, is NOT safe nor is it legal. It's plain stupid. All I can say is that I hope your dog never acts on his natural instincts and runs into that road. If he caused and accident, YOU would be fully liable, your insurance wouldn't pay a penny and you would have to live with it on your conscience for the rest of your life. And - should the worst happen - you will have to live with that thought knowing that it was FULLY preventable.

Common sense, people. If people on a dedicated dog forum are lacking in it, what in hell is the hope for the rest of the world?

 

[Labra]

One last word. Before I get the, "OMG. You don't know me. You don't know how friggin' fantastically well trained my dog is" lecture, no, I don't know you or your dog. But what I do know is that under the surface, a dog is a dog. They have needs, they have natural instincts, they have desires. Train until your hearts content and kid yourself into thinking you have a Lassie-esque canine companion but REMEMBER that your dog is a dog and 100% reliability and perfection in training does NOT exist.

 

[*Amy*]

Pick your fights people. Ain't so sense in fighting over something so silly... as someone said earlier in the thread... get a life.

You just added to the argument so that means you're fighting over it, as well. {edited by mod}. It seems the majority of the people on this forum agrees that dogs should be leashed.

 

[bubbatd]

........enough already ! opcorn:

 

[Gempress]

When the law says a dog should be leashed, it should be leashed, and just because you THINK your dog is under control does not make you the exception to that rule.

^^^^^:hail: :hail: :hail: :hail:

Now THAT is one statement I agree with 100%.

 

[*Amy*]

........enough already ! opcorn:

It would end if people would stop criticizing the people who were making reasonable arguments. There is nothing wrong with a little debate until the people that are debating are called "CHILDREN" and being told to "get a life."

 

[Brattina88]

Unless your dog is leashed, it is NOT under control.

Isn't this what this whole thread is about?
I think its time to agree to disagree, people

When the law says a dog should be leashed, it should be leashed, and just because you THINK your dog is under control does not make you the exception to that rule.

Well, actually...

Most leash laws are written to encompass a dog off-lead that is "under control."

I'd have to double check, but I believe that's true in my area. And many other areas as well . . .

 

[Dreeza]

Letting a high-drive dog chase a squirrel near a road is just BEGGING for trouble. It wasn't the lack of leash that was the issue to me, it was allowing him to chase. If he's so high drive that he can't be called off from chasing a squirrel no matter how much training is done, then I agree he should be leashed at all times when he leaves a safely fenced area.

Dreeza, you should be more careful with him. If you want to walk him off-lead, please consider teaching him a good solid recall command before taking him in an unfenced area. The whole situation you described could've been averted if he had a recall and you said "Oakley, here" as soon as he started off after the squirrel.

RD, thanks for the logic of the rest of your post. I just wanted to specifically address this...I know its a long thread, but I wanted to make sure that people saw this much.

Oakley IS trained to recall from chasing!!! He is also trained NOT to chase unless it is OKAY. (And even when it is "okay" he STILL is not allowed to, and WILL NOT step into the road!!)

His recall off chasing is *extremely* reliable.

When he is given his "ok" command, he is free to roam/chase/play. I did not see the squirrel...the thing seriously came outta nowhere...and by the time I saw it, I had a split second to react...heck, I am pretty sure I said "COME" as Oakley was flying through the air, haha.

The situation of a squirrel coming out of nowhere *has* happened before...its not a huge deal, b/c normally I react immediately, and Oakley will stop w/in like 5 feet of where he started, and turn tail and come back to me. Normally Oakley 'stalks' the squirrels, which gives me plenty of time to tell him he isn't allowed to chase (which is the vast majority of the time, cause there are only certain places I allow him to chase)...

Labra...HAHAH...OAKLEY??? "naturally behaved?????" I am pretty sure anyone that has been keeping on with anything vaguely Oakley related can laugh along with that one. The dog was a friggin nightmare...thats why we had to pay huge bucks to get him PROFESSIONALLY trained. Our trainer personally described him as one of the most "stubborn brattiest" dogs he had ever worked with (and he has worked with 1000s upon 1000s of dogs)...course the trainer said b/c of that, he is one of the few dogs he would consider keeping if given the chance


Also Tankstar...did you even read what I wrote? What people? The people looking at me from outside their windows?? You think I give a crap what they think? gimme a break. Oakley mainly walks on the sidewalk, sometimes along the edge of people's property, but i mean, he does zero damage...we dont let him run all over people's yards.

Where he was walking FYI, is technically CITY property up until the person's fence...so once again. Stop assuming.



AMY...ever tried ignoring comments like that? If you think they are so "childish" then just get over it...why are you dwelling?

 

[*Amy*]

Excuse me, dreeza. If you would've read what I wrote more clearly I said OTHER people are calling us children. I didn't call anyone's comments "childish."

 

[houndlove]

Where I live, the leash law not only specifies that an actual leash be present, but the maximum length of the leash as well (6 feet).

The large park that I go to in my city (think Central Park but more forested) has an epidemic off-leash dog problem. Even though the leash laws of the city apply there, no one follows them and they are rarely enforced (though when AC shows up and starts handing out tickets, you should see how outraged people get that they're being busted for not following a law that is clearly posted). I have seen, first hand, what happens when people can't see the the true nature of their dogs' behavior. Pretty much every time I go, I see all of the following things happen:

--At least one person walking around, with no dog, desperately shouting their dog's name.
--At least one dog almost getting run over by a cyclist after darting in to the path.
--Dogs running after and harassing a joggers (my parents live on the edge of the park and are both joggers and can definitely tell you some stories--my dad last year got a pretty serious injury after falling while trying to dodge a loose dog)
--Dogs with nice muddy paws running up to various random people and jumping on them
--I personally have had off leash dogs barge in to what I thought was a tucked away corner where I was trying to have a session of training with distractions and start trying to get my training treats.

And almost every time one of those things happen, the owner of the dog says exactly the same thing: "He's never done that before!" Either that or they don't say anything, don't apologize, don't even make eye contact, which speaks volumes to me that these people know exactly what their dog's tendencies are and choose to let them off leash anyway.

The people who are being responsible with their off leash dogs do not let them out of a very tight radius around them so, what is even the point of not using a leash? If the only way in a busy city that you can responsibly have your dog off leash is to keep him in a 6 foot radius of you, why not just use a leash and have complete insurance against "he's never done that before!"?

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Before any more people post in this, think long and hard about what you are going to post. The bantering and bickering needs to stop. Play nice!

 

[blue]

I did not see the squirrel...the thing seriously came outta nowhere...and by the time I saw it, I had a split second to react...heck, I am pretty sure I said "COME" as Oakley was flying through the air, haha.

A leash would not have prevented this situation.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Congratulations. What a responsible, shining example of a dog owner you are. Sadly, it is people like you and the OP's dogs who end up being hit and killed on the road. Then, you look to place the blame elsewhere. "Oh, Fluffy was such a good dog. He ever wore a leash and never strayed far. I blame the person driving the car."

How I wish people would apply a little common sense when it comes to dog ownership. They are DOGS, people. Not little furry robots that never step a pawpad out of place. What makes it even sadder is that these "naturally well behaved" dogs I guarantee have received little in the way of formal training. But what does it matter, eh? who needs training if they are "well behaved"?

USE A FREAKING LEASH. The rest of the world manage. Responsible dog owners cringe in disgust at those who think they are above the law, or those that think they are fantastic trainers because Fluffy can walk along a road without a leash. Yes, it is something to be proud of - putting your dog and other peoples lives in danger. REAL proud.

I told ya, I do use a leash, but I don't need to. I do not live in town, therefore there are no leash laws where I live, so "using a freaking leash" isn't necessary when she is trained enough to know to stay by me.

Amy, give it up already, would ya? Your not getting anything out of this by saying the same crap over and over, so why keep it going? Really? No offense Dreeza, but you, Amy, seriously think you and others bitching her out id going to make her keep Oakley on a leash? I think not.

 

[*Amy*]

I told ya, I do use a leash, but I don't need to. I do not live in town, therefore there are no leash laws where I live, so "using a freaking leash" isn't necessary when she is trained enough to know to stay by me.

Amy, give it up already, would ya? Your not getting anything out of this by saying the same crap over and over, so why keep it going? Really? No offense Dreeza, but you, Amy, seriously think you and others bitching her out id going to make her keep Oakley on a leash? I think not.

What is your problem? I am not bitching her out. All I said was it's stupid people are being criticized for having a different opinion than Dreeza.

I stopped arguing about this yesterday because it's obvious everyone is set in his/her own way.

 

[~Jessie~]

It really irks me how people can call others "children," accuse some people of "bitching others out," and tell people to stop it. Does that really make the situation better, or make them a better person for saying it? It looks pretty hypocritical to me.

 

[RD]

Congratulations. What a responsible, shining example of a dog owner you are. Sadly, it is people like you and the OP's dogs who end up being hit and killed on the road. Then, you look to place the blame elsewhere. "Oh, Fluffy was such a good dog. He ever wore a leash and never strayed far. I blame the person driving the car."

How I wish people would apply a little common sense when it comes to dog ownership. They are DOGS, people. Not little furry robots that never step a pawpad out of place. What makes it even sadder is that these "naturally well behaved" dogs I guarantee have received little in the way of formal training. But what does it matter, eh? who needs training if they are "well behaved"?

USE A FREAKING LEASH. The rest of the world manage. Responsible dog owners cringe in disgust at those who think they are above the law, or those that think they are fantastic trainers because Fluffy can walk along a road without a leash. Yes, it is something to be proud of - putting your dog and other peoples lives in danger. REAL proud.

OUCH. I'm very sorry that you place such little value on training, Labra. Just as training is no excuse to ignore leash laws, having a dog tied to a leash is no excuse to neglect its training.

My dog truly is responsive off-leash, anywhere. Is she 100% reliable? No. She's a dog, not a robot. Every time I call her, there's a small chance that she won't come to me. Do I let her roam around and sniff/chase everything while on an off-lead walk in an unsecured area near a road? Nope. She's in a working heel and doesn't stray more than 12" from my side. There's a small chance that she might break that heel and take off running, but there's also a small chance that a leash will break, I'll let go of the handle, or she'll slip her collar/harness during a walk. Nothing is 100%! But if something like that were to happen (and it has) I can just call her right back and fix the problem. I couldn't do that if she never got any off-leash training in a variety of situations.

My dog is responsive and under control while on the leash, but she's also responsive and under control when she's wearing nothing. Can you say the same for dogs who rarely have their leashes taken off?

I'm not saying to break leash laws or abandon common sense, but I think it's a rather sad notion to never walk a dog off-leash for fear of accidents. Leash-related accidents happen all the time, too. Jmo!

 

[Angel Chicken]

What is your problem? I am not bitching her out. All I said was it's stupid people are being criticized for having a different opinion than Dreeza.

Nothing is my problem actually. I just think that making this thread into a bash fest is pretty stupid. She posted this as a "Haha, this is funny" thread, not a "Hey-- my dog bolted from me while off leash, so let's fuss at her like we're her parents!" thread.

Just saying, give it a rest. I promise it won't hurt you any to just suck it up and MOVE on.

 

[RD]

Actually, the way I see it is Dreeza is being criticized for having an opinion different than the majority.

To each their own. I think the name-calling and assumptions on this thread are getting ridiculous.