Since adopting Scout, we’ve been charged by too many out-of-control dogs to count. It’s a pretty stressful situation for both of us given that she came to me afraid of other dogs and then developed fear reactivity after being attacked — we’ve spent the better part of the past three years rebuilding her confidence and trust in me.
I’ve found that these off-leash dog owners often ask me variations of the same few questions when I request space or intercept their pets (some much more kindly than others). It can be difficult to say the “right” thing when I’m focused on getting out of the situation as soon as possible — so crafting these responses after the fact has been incredibly cathartic.
Let’s get into it!
(You can also read about why I think leash laws matter in this article and how I try to handle my big emotions surrounding off-leash dog encounters in this one.)
“He’s just being friendly! Why can’t he say hi?”
There are a few things to unpack with this one.
For one thing: “Friendly” doesn’t mean “respectful” or “inherently safe”
It’s actually quite rude for a dog to run full-speed, head-on at their leashed counterparts. (How would you feel if a complete stranger sprinted at you while out in public, even if they swore they were harmless?) And even friendly dogs can cause fights — the temperament of your off-leash dog isn’t the only important variable in the situation.
“Understand, a friendly dog can easily start a fight he’s not looking or prepared for. If I ran up to every stranger I met and tried to hug them, sooner or later someone would punch me in the face.”
— Chad Mackin, dog trainer and host of the Something to Bark About podcast
For another: Just because your dog is friendly doesn’t mean everyone is obligated to be comfortable with him
As hard as it is for a dog-obsessed person like myself to swallow, the truth is that not everybody likes dogs — and that’s okay.
Negative past experiences can give canines a bad reputation for extremely valid reason. Some people have been bitten or watched their loved ones get bitten, and many have sadly never experienced a truly well-behaved dog to round out their opinion.
At the end of the day, it’s great that your dog is friendly! But your dog’s sociability doesn’t automatically dictate how other people or animals feel.
“Who cares about the rules?”
The short answer: Lots of us.
The long answer: Those of us…
- With family members, friends, and other loved ones who have been bitten by dogs.
- Who have been bitten by dogs ourselves.
- Who are injured, disabled, or otherwise unable to be safely approached by an unknown dog.
- With children who are afraid of dogs.
- With dogs who have been attacked or are fearful, injured, blind, newly adopted, elderly, or so on.
- Who have put in thousands of hours (and dollars) rehabilitating our own dogs after traumatic experiences.
- Who care about sensitive wildlife.
- Who have seen dog-friendly privileges be taken away when folks don’t follow the rules and want to keep beautiful spaces like this open to our pets.
- Who intentionally seek out leash-required areas to feel safe.
- With empathy and respect for the people and animals around us.
“How would you feel if I kicked your dog away?”
If my dog approached you without permission in a leash-required environment, you’d be well within your rights to use legal forms of self defense* to keep her out of your space!
I’m sure I’d be embarrassed, defensive, and full of guilt. I hope that through those emotions I’d still realize the situation was entirely my fault and take steps to prevent it from happening again.
* Acceptable self defense will vary by country and state. I recommend checking directly with your local animal control department if possible — that way you can feel fully confident knowing your options!
(I also hope it goes without saying to always use the least amount of force necessary. My first option is merely stepping in front of Scout to reach for and pet the other dog. The goal is not to escalate things further but simply to advocate for my own companion in the situation at hand.)
“Why would you bring your dog here if she’s mean?”
I’ll be honest: This one can sting.
Just yesterday I tried to prevent an off-leash dog from approaching Scout on a leash-required trail (with a sign clearly posted at the entrance). I walked towards the other dog to pet / hold it, which elicited a bark from Scout — and the owner accosted me for “bringing an aggressive dog” to the space.
I’ve previously had a drunk man scream that I “shouldn’t have a mean dog in public” after she barked at his dog running up. The examples are, sadly, quite plentiful.
First: It’s normal for a leashed dog to be uncomfortable getting charged by an off-leash one
I don’t mean to get unnecessarily caught up in semantics, but I think this is important: A leashed dog who barks or growls at an off-leash dog invading their personal space is not being “mean”.
It’s completely natural for dogs to react to startling events. Feeling constrained and forced to endure an unwanted interaction is a great way to create a fight response — even in dogs who can be social with other dogs!
In Scout’s specific case, the reason we go to leash-required areas and try to reasonably intercept dogs before they get to her is because she’s afraid of them. She doesn’t want to cause harm — but she will put on a defensive display to protect her personal space if she feels threatened. (This is why we’ve worked so hard to build “faith in handler”. She trusts that her humans will keep her safe, so she doesn’t need to take things into her own hands.)
Second: Social dogs aren’t the only ones who deserve to enjoy public spaces
What’s more — being social or “friendly” is not a requirement to enjoy an environment with leash laws in the first place.
As a dog owner, it is my responsibility to keep both my dog and those around her safe when we’re out in public. Legally, I should be able to have her in these spaces without worrying about being approached by out-of-control dogs! Of course I wouldn’t take my fearful dog to a fenced-in dog park where the expectation is direct interaction with unknown dogs — but a public trail with posted signage saying dogs need to be leashed? That’s different.
We go to areas with leash laws precisely because we don’t want to be greeted by strange dogs. Scout is always under control in public, and we train daily to be respectful members of society.
We deserve to enjoy our parks, trails, and beaches just as much as everyone with an over-the-top social dog does!
“Why are you ruining everyone’s fun?”
My initial inclination is to just say “I’m not ruining everyone’s fun, you are by being inconsiderate” in a clipped voice — but I’ll tone down the emotions and try to be a bit more balanced 😉
Look, I get that it’s an amazing feeling to watch our dogs run off leash. I understand that it often feels difficult to find places where that’s allowed. I know it might feel like your dog is friendly and perfect, and how dare someone not be comfortable with them?!
But I’m not trying to ruin your fun. I promise. I’m trying to have my own fun — to keep this environment a place where as many people and pets as possible can have fun — safely.
When you allow your off-leash dog to run at everyone in this space, you’re doing more than just “having a good time”. You’re breaking the law. You’re jeopardizing the public safety and comfort of your fellow community members. You’re prioritizing your own experience above anyone else’s.
But when we follow the rules and exercise reasonable concern for the world around us, we can all enjoy beautiful trails like this. We can maximize the amount of fun everyone gets to have.
And if your dog being off leash is integral to your definition of “fun”? Head to a legal area to do it (or check out some alternatives to fully violating leash laws in this article).
8 comments
[…] Violating leash laws […]
I’m sorry for the negative prior comments, which unfortunately only further demonstrate the mindsets we reactive dog parents struggle with. Like so many others, my pup has developed dog reactivity thanks to being rushed by rude and sometimes aggressive off leash dogs. It’s really helpful to read about how others deal with these situations and the completely thoughtless responses of the owners. Thank you for this post and your blog overall!
[…] But every time a dog charges us without permission, we risk being set back. I have to make a decision between breaking Scout’s faith in handler (which has taken ages to build) or keeping the other dog away (which is never fun, largely because of how owners respond). […]
[…] minding our own business. Seeing off-leash dogs in leash-required areas can be frightening. Being actually approached without permission is even […]
No it’s not within your right “to kick a dog” away unless that dog looks like it’s planning to attack. Please get your damn rights in order and if someone kicks my dog I’ll kick the crap out of that person as I will be protecting my dog now that’s within my rights.
Hi Kristin! I understand this can be an incredibly emotional situation to imagine.
As I say as clearly as possible in the article, legal forms of self defense will vary by area — and the goal should always be to use the least amount of force necessary! In situations where dogs are required to be on leash and an off-leash dog approaches, you are generally within your rights (in the places I’ve lived / checked with animal control departments here in the US) to use those legal forms of defense whether or not it looks like it plans to attack. (Not to mention that asserting that intent can be hard in fast-paced situations to begin with.)
I’m a 63 year old woman who has had and trained dogs since the age of 19. My dogs learn as puppies to walk with me off leash, to come, sit, stay, etc and to be on voice control. We also practice leashed walking whenever we are somewhere that requires leashes, which, sadly has become everywhere, even my rural neighborhood, which for many years had no problem accepting the neighborhood dogs as canine citizens. It all fell apart when one, then 2 people adopted full grown aggressive dogs and had both no ability and no interest in working with their dogs to become better citizens. Instead, they determined that everyone had to keep their dogs on leashes, simply because they couldn’t control their own dog. My dog was attacked by one because the owner couldn’t control her on the leash. Numerous neighbors were bit by the other dog, again because she wasn’t strong enough to control him on the leash. It’s the same argument you are using-“ I have needs, and all of you need to meet them and make this tough situation I’ve gotten myself into work for me. “.
And like my neighbors, you’ve made it abundantly clear that there shall never be freedom for any dog, because you are afraid of them, don’t know how to be around them, and don’t understand them. It really is a tragedy- you are missing so much.
Hi there! I’m not sure if you’ll see this response since you didn’t leave any contact info in your comment, but a few thoughts in case you come back to it ☺️
First, I’m so sorry you’ve had such a difficult situation with your neighborhood. I think we might have a miscommunication and am here to clear up anything if I can — as I hope this article makes clear, I absolutely believe it is every dog owner’s job to have control of their pets whether on or off leash. The issue comes in precisely when people don’t have control and allow their off-leash dogs to approach other people & animals without permission, especially in leash-required areas. That’s what this article is about! Not every creature should have to be okay with other dogs actually getting into their space in order to be welcome safely out in public.
As for your last paragraph about freedom and understanding canines, I’d encourage you to spend some more time here on our blog (particularly our biological fulfillment and dog umwelt articles). As always, happy to answer any questions if you have them.