Why You Should Walk Your Dog On Leash

There are several places you can have your dog off leash – your home, your backyard and leash-free dog parks. These places are great for a well behaved, properly socialized dogs. What happens when an aggressive or fearful dog gets introduced into the mix? It is usually an unwelcome situation for everyone, although sometimes the owner seems oblivious.

There are many reasons why you should keep your dog on leash while you are walking them, especially in natural areas.

Reasons Why Us Dog Owners Need To Leash Our Pets:

It’s the law. If there is a sign stating that dogs should be leashed then we are breaking the law and may be subject to a fine if caught.

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Dogs must be leashed.

Not everyone likes dogs and some are afraid of them. This is especially true with dogs that sprint toward people or other dogs. It doesn’t matter whether we believe our dog is friendly, perhaps the other dog isn’t or the person being approached is a child, senior citizen or has been attacked by a dog in the past.

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Dogs can attack out of aggression or fear.

Dogs on leash can’t run away. All too often I hear owners calling for their dogs with no success. Our dogs are on leash, this will never be a problem.

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Free roaming dogs may go off trails. In natural habitat areas this may damage sensitive ecosystems, they may destroy the nests of some birds or stress small animals as well as kill some animals. Dog feces is also an issue, it is not as natural as that of wild animals and there is more of it.

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Roaming dogs can stress or kill wildlife.

Off-leash dogs are more likely to get hurt or hit by a vehicle. Dogs may drink contaminated water or be exposed to plants that can be dangerous. While chasing small animals or playing with another dog they may not notice a vehicle. They can also cause people to get into accidents while trying to avoid hitting a loose dog.

Owners won’t pick up their dog’s poop. Not only does it make for disgusting trails for other people, dog feces carries worms and parasites that can be transmitted to other animals and to people. If owners can’t see their dogs, they can’t pick up after them.

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Use biodegradable bags to always pick up after your pet.

Can result in all dogs being banned from an area. A few ‘bad’ dog owners make it worse for the good ones. Several areas have been closed to dogs because owners refuse to pick up after their dog or too often leave them off leash. Be a good neighbour and citizen and follow the signs.

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Not obeying leash and ‘stoop and scoop’ laws can lead to dogs free parks.

Prevents our dogs from being stolen. All too often these days you see stories about dogs being taken from parks and even backyards. There are some precautions we can take and one of them is to have our dogs on leash will walking.

Other people enjoying a park shouldn’t have to be confronted by loose dogs. Not everyone is able to fend off even a friendly dog that may jump up at a stranger. Also, parks are not our personal playgrounds for our dogs. We are sharing the area with other people who are obeying the park regulations.

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Some people want to enjoy parks without having to deal with other people’s pets.

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