Dogs on leads

[animartco]

Originally Posted by Jemma 11/11

Please can we just have the enforcement of common sense and good dog ownership?
My dog is a fantastically well behaved collie who has been taught from a puppy no to chase birds/sheep/cats or anything else. I don't let her off the lead on commons where ponies are present (as she's terrified of them!) but at other times I do let her off the lead she is perfectly happy to walk 'to heel' and does not instantly run off and bite children or birds' necks, comes back when I tell her to and generally enjoys herself.

If there is a by-law which asks for dogs to be kept on leads, then I assume there is a valid reason and I will, but please take note that not all dogs run around attacking everything as soon as they are off the lead and it is up to the owner to act responsibly when out walking and to teach the dog what she/he can/can't do and to know their dog well enough to be able to judge when it is safe to do so.

Dogs can be trained to do all manner of things, such as adhere to footpaths even!

Certainly they CAN Jemma but unfortunately usually THEY AINT!

[stigofthedump]

Originally Posted by animartco

Hi Vince. Well yes of course, dogs are vicious because the owners make them vicious. I once heard a man boasting about how many people his dog had bitten! To be fair though attack breeds need much more careful handling. they DO have a natural tendency to be vicious because they have been BRED to be vicious.
I would never trust a doberman for instance unless I had trained it myself from a puppy.

You are of course right in that dogs can be bred for certain characteristics and some just show a natural tendency to be assertive or nervous.
The most awkward dog I have had to look after was a Cairn Terrier. As usual it was the owners not managing the animal correctly.
As for the poor animal that was owned? by the thug you mention boasting.
I can only speculate on the dogs contentment with it's lot
I sometimes wonder if it should be some people on the leash!


Vince

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by BloomingMarvellous

BBC News - Dog ban at more than 70 Nottinghamshire park sites

What a very sad atitude to have

[The Woodman]

Dog walking anglers in Nottinghamshire are having a tough time. NWT have banned angling on their 65 waters apparently.

[animartco]

Originally Posted by nikolai_avenger

Aaaarg. Here comes a rant.. Duck and cover.

It's along the same lines as people thinking it is OK for cats to 'just do cat stuff', i.e. decimate the wildlife in any surrounding gardens, defecate on my lawn, etc. I don't want to start that old chestnut again though, I just wish some people would take responsibility for their pets and their pets' natural instincts and if they can't do that they should have them!

"It's cruel to keep my dog on a lead, ergo it is OK for it to run up to small children and plunge into a pond full of ducks that are being fed by small children, before shaking itself dry all over them. It's just the dog's natural behaviour."

Sometimes, especially when I am out with my daughter, such 'natural behaviour' from a dog provokes an equally 'natural' response from me, the inclination to poke a rogue predator in the eye with a pointy stick as a deterrent for coming near me and my offspring. Keep your dog away from me and mine, and keep your cat out of my garden!

Bah!

You don't actually carry a pointy stick do you? Just word of warning here. It would be more dangerous for you than for the dog. It would work on small floppy eared mongrels and collie crosses, but tackle a terrier your ankles will suffer, and tackle an alsation with a stick only if you are prepared and strong enough to kill it! The 'dangerous wild animals' act makes me laugh. Any large dog is far more dangerous!
let me just add an example. One of my neighbours has kept alsations for years. We were chatting on my doorstep, and he had tis bitch on a lead. After half a minute I decided to make a friendly overture to her and put my hand out only to have to snatch it back. Good job my reactions are quick! She meant business, I should have looked at her more closely first! It was of course jealousy, I was paying attention to her alpha male. Owners often do not realise how their dogs see things.

[stevecurtis]

Some years back there was a ban on hand guns even the ones being used by responsible people who just shot at targets, yet time after time certain breeds of dogs attack and injure and kill our children surely these breeds should be banned and phased out.

Steve

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by stevecurtis

Some years back there was a ban on hand guns even the ones being used by responsible people who just shot at targets, yet time after time certain breeds of dogs attack and injure and kill our children surely these breeds should be banned and phased out.

Steve

I totally agree that certain breeds should be eradicated. There is simply no need to require certain breeds and its strikes me that its always the same type of folk that own them

[animartco]

Originally Posted by Boddie

I totally agree that certain breeds should be eradicated. There is simply no need to require certain breeds and its strikes me that its always the same type of folk that own them

Boddie!!! NOTHING should ever be eradicated! Attack breeds are some of the most beautiful creatures man has produced. They include Mastiff great dane Akita dalmation and doberman, and of course alsation pyranean chou shar-pee... yea well I could go on only my spelin gets worse. All these dogs and more were bred specifically to attack intruders whether man or wolf. and some were even 'dogs of war' released to attack invading armies!
What should happen is a test like that used in the middle ages. If a dog could be passed through a hoop of a regulation size it was OK, if not it was outlawed except under licence. Simple!
Or not so. A small dog can still kill a child or any wildlife.

[Cowgirl]

It would have to be a big hoop to get a deerhound through

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by animartco

Boddie!!! NOTHING should ever be eradicated! Attack breeds are some of the most beautiful creatures man has produced. They include Mastiff great dane Akita dalmation and doberman, and of course alsation pyranean chou shar-pee... yea well I could go on only my spelin gets worse. All these dogs and more were bred specifically to attack intruders whether man or wolf. and some were even 'dogs of war' released to attack invading armies!
What should happen is a test like that used in the middle ages. If a dog could be passed through a hoop of a regulation size it was OK, if not it was outlawed except under licence. Simple!
Or not so. A small dog can still kill a child or any wildlife.

I have a friend that has a dog. This friend is massively chilled out and has never shown any aggression towards his dog or in any way rewarded it for being agggressive. However the dog attacked another friends little boy, taking a decent sized bite out of his face, and leaving him badly scarred. I was astonished when I heard this news. I just feel that there are certain breeds that have a predisposition, and they should not be encouraged as pets. Why does somebody need a rottweiler, for example?