Two days ago I was chilling on the beach with my dogs. Only us, dogs having fun, serene scenery. On the horizon I noticed a person approaching, with a dog. When they got closer I leashed my dogs and moved closer to the cliff – I wanted to make sure the other person could notice that I did not want to have any interaction. Unfortunately, this women did not bother to take her dog. So I politely asked if she can leash him. With disgust on her face she did. But few meters later she just let him lose. The dog started to approach us. I had to ask her three times if she can call her dog off. Finally I had to shout at her. The dog was few meters away from us, I had to move away (Gunia is not friendly towards unknown and Gacek & Gapcio can not have any interaction when they are with Gu), dog was running freely between our stuff and the owner did not care much. To make her do something I had to be really nasty. She took the dog but made some stupid comments.
Seriously, I do not know why people behave like this. I just do not understand. It is either stupidity or extreme selfishness.
Situations like the one mentioned above made me think. Based on observation of usual dog owner in Poland, I have come to the conclusion, that for some unknown reasons people believe that leash is a medieval torture device. If not than how can you explain so strong hatred people have when they are asked to leash the dog.
Dear readers, I know this may sound weird but LEASH will not harm your dog. It does not bite or hurt. But it can save your dog’s life by preventing him from being bitten, hit by car or have another accident.
It really does not matter if your dog is small, sociable and friendly towards the rest of the world. “He will not harm you”, “he just wants to say hi”, “he is friendly” these are just a tiny part of the comments I hear when I ask the owners to leash their dogs.
The fact that your dog is okay with people, other dogs, cats, horses does not give you permission to let him off leash all the time. Do you know that the other dog may be sick, reactive, stressed, under training or his owner may simply not want your company.
Taking your dog on a leash when you pass by someone else should be obvious for everyone. If you want your furry company to make friends with the other dog, first ask the owner. Do not argue when he says no. He has a right to do that and you have to control your dog. If you do not care what the other party has to say (which you should) than think about your dog’s safety. I am under control of my reactive dog but I can not to much if your dog runs to us.
The leash is a great tool, that was created with a purpose. Currently there are so many brands on the market, you can choose any style, color and type you wish. Maybe such a fancy gadget will be more encouraging to us for you. Trust me, using a leash is not painful and can protect your dog.
Remember that we are not alone in a public space. We can all coexist peacefully, but to do that we need self-respect and just a little bit of imagination.
