Happy dear wife Karen, satisfied Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle.
Midway through our return leg on our stroll with cherished rescue mutt Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle at Onondaga Lake Park this past glorious Saturday, a woman ran past going the other direction on the inner trail path with her unencumbered dog trailing her.
I turned my head and shouted at her.
“Leash law!”
Indeed. Owners are implored to keep their canines tethered while at this pretty piece of public property we share.
And on this 55-degree, sun-filled day in the middle of February, we later figured that we saw, oh, 499 dogs on a leash and this one dog running free. That’s a pretty good ratio of law-abiding citizens to scofflaw.
Now I can imagine that this woman jogger imagines that her dog is the good dog of the bunch, the one pooch that would never imagine straying into any sort of trouble.
But, of course …
The sight of a loose dog could rile any or some of these good dogs on a leash, who could pull themselves from their owners and cause a ruckus. Or other loose dogs along the path could take umbrage at the whiff of the wind. Or a dog could bolt from a backyard. Or your dog could decide to sniff a kid in a carriage and scare the bejeebers out of child and parent.
You never know what can happen with an animal.
You should think of other people, not just yourself. Follow the leash law so everybody goes home as happy as they can.
There’s my first leash rant of 2017.
What’s your opinion about dogs, leashes and crowded public parks?
Mark Bialczak 
Dogs get spooked by things we either don’t hear or see. Always best to be leashed when in a place like that.
LikeLike
Thanks for the support on this, Apple Pie. My Ellie B is a good dog most of the time. Until she isn’t. She makes that choice, not me. So she’s always on a leash when she’s supposed to be, always in public except for marked dog parks.
LikeLike
Dogs off-leash in off-leash areas I’m totally fine with. But pooh-pooh on those who ignore the leash laws.
LikeLike
That’s a good way to put it, Kathryn Grace. Pooh-pooh, indeed. And pick it up themselves, of course.
LikeLiked by 1 person
i think it’s a really good idea, even a well-tempered dog can lose control when he/she suddenly crosses paths with another.
LikeLike
That’s so right, Beth.
LikeLike
My Sabu is *always* on a leash unless we go to a fenced dog park. I’ve had many loose dogs run up to us, the owner saying things like, “Oh, don’t worry, he’s friendly!” And I always reply, “My dog is NOT friendly, which is why she’s on a leash!” Sabu is usually lunging and acting like a total jerk at this point, (“Going Cujo” as I like to say) so they generally grab their dog and beat feet away from the woman with the bad attitude and her maniac dog. I seldom get accosted in this way more than once 🙂
She’s not really a “bad” dog, just extra protective (or a total jerk, depending on your view) when she encounters loose dogs while she’s on a leash – she just doesn’t trust other dogs to be good and she doesn’t trust my judgement, either. Herd dogs – what can you do?
LikeLike
Oh, I agree! I’ve had a couple of scary incidents of dogs in the neighborhood running up to my dog while she was on a leash and they weren’t–the owners swore they meant no harm, but my dog could easily feel need to defend herself. Oy. Dogs off leash are for farms:).
LikeLike
I agree with you, Mark. by the way, Lovely picture ❤
LikeLike
I’m leash-tening, Mark. Yes, the tailwaggers should be on the leash when they go for walks. V◕ฺω◕ฺV
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is always that dog owner who doesn’t believe the rules apply. Sadly, it is my experience that it often happens with very large dogs..there have been encounters !
LikeLike