Should dogs be kept on a leash in public places?

I think dogs should be kept on leashes in public places, and where I live, it is the law, but not everyone follows it. I have seen such well behaved dogs, that I can see why the owner might balk, but I have also been chased and jumped on by dogs, and that is not a fun feeling, especially if the dog is bigger than me!

If I get bitten by a dog. I am putting it down that very instant. Enough said!

And risk not knowing if you will die from rabies or not.

Yeah... it`s called quarantine.. if you get bit you automatically get a shot, but the animal can be quarantined for 2 weeks. If it has rabies it will exhibit symptoms long before those 2 weeks are over. Maximum lifespan for an animal with rabies was 3 weeks from initial bite. Symptoms show in a week and a bit.

Not every animal deserves to die because it was provoked into biting.

Why would you quarantine a dead animal? at that point you just test it.

When I owned a dog he was military trained, so wouldn't do anything crazy when outside without getting a command for it.

A couple of years ago I saw a dog in a park who got excited when he saw kids and would run up to them and play with them. Well after an hour being there a dad and his kids came to play and the dog saw the kids and ran to them. What happened next was just crazy.

The dad saw the dog running towards his 2 year old and without hesitation punted the poor pitbull like 4 feet into the air, the sound that dog made was soooo sad. Of course the kids are crying the dog owners are freaking out the dad is freaking out, some lady who saw it happens calls the cops. One of the owners is in a heated argument that was about to turn into a fight, the cops come and end up giving the dog owner a ticket/summon for not having the dog on a leach.

I love dogs but if the dog is not trained then leach him for his protection and others.

If I saw a pitbull running towards my nieces, I'd have done exactly the same thing.

I probably would too, except I think it's strange to give a ticket for a dog not on a leash in a dog park! Also, survey the dog park before you go in there with a two year old. In the one I've been too, they have different pens for large or small dogs. I might not take a 2 year old in with large dogs.

Once someone brought like 4 dogs that started bad pack behavior towards people and dogs. They were getting a little bit scary. Don't bring your dogs to the dog park and let them off leash unless they can behave.

It wasn't an official dog park, just locals took their dogs there.

I'm pretty sure I would've kicked the dog or worth if I didn't know who it belonged to. I was just pointing out that even good dogs can be perceived as a threat, I've seen it many times.

In a lot of ways I think yes, but at the same time I think it depends.

In an ideal world, I'd like it to be that if you're a responsible owner and you know your dog is very well trained, won't bite, won't run off etc etc then I think they should be able to be let off. It's not the law to do so here, and I see plenty of well behaved dogs off the lead.

That said, it's not an ideal world. People are idiots and think the sun shines out of their dogs backside and they wouldn't ever disobey them and the don't think or take proper precautions. I'd love my dog to be able to run around at the park off his lead but I don't trust him yet. I know 100% he would never bite anyone, we're only just managing to teach him to stand up for himself when other dogs get aggressive to him! (A dog, off their lead, one time attacked him at the park and he still did nothing back) However, he's not very well trained at staying by my heel and I don't trust that he wouldn't run after a bird/cat and get himself into danger/get lost/get run over by traffic. I therefore, never let him off the lead and probably never will.

Around where I live, it is the law

I wish it was the law here.

I have a little confession to make. I actually bought `keep dogs on leash` stickers from Ebay and stuck them on the posts near where I live

I want some of those stickers!!

There is a leash law in this city but EVERYBODY doesn't think it applies to them, and FURTHER, to try to justify not having THEIR dogs on leash, they try to criminalize you if you don't have a rude obnoxious lab type that runs up with no regard for personal space. If your dog doesn't like to be approached by off leash dogs and were to bite, in their mind, that is YOUR fault for having an aggressive dog and letting their dog get bitten, not THEIR fault for letting their dog get into the situation to get bitten in the first place!

My dog is 18", 35lbs and he does not enjoy dogs getting up in his face. Usually the "friendliest" are the ones that have NO RESPECT and will get all crazy up in his face - he will bark/snap at them - he has never bitten or initiated a fight, he is just saying "eff off, dude." I can tell a mile away which dogs he will be fine meeting and which ones he will tell off (the ones straining at the end of their leash to try and see him? Those are the ones he thinks it is his job to educate on ettiquette!) - unfortunately, other owners sometimes think my dog is being "aggressive"... which he is NOT. I usually just tell people these days that he is not friendly when they ask if their dog can meet mine because even a "friendly" dog when he is met with an unfriendly reception could become something BESIDES friendly.

My dog is well mannered and would not typically run off to meet a dog or person so technically, he probably COULD be off leash but I keep him on leash for a variety of reasons besides that its the law, including that he is a DOG and so therefore could be unpredictable - I don't want him to dash out in traffic and get hit by a car or have another dog run up to him and start a fight and then them take off running. There is way more control of the situation that you can do with a leash on your dog.

I had an experience a week and a half ago where we were approached by two 70+lb labs. The owner was pulling his boat out of the water in a public park and left them running outside of his Jeep while he did it. They started to approach but I stomped my feet/hollered and he called them and put him in the car but then didn't close the door and they jumped back out when he got out to secure his boat.

They charged at us with hackles up and my dog started to panic so I picked him up, which was not probably the smartest thing to do but was my first instinct - I figured if they bite his leg off or injure his leg, we could amputate but it is a lot harder to sew up a torn open belly or throat. They kept grabbing at his legs and trying to pull him away from me. They did not have collars or leashes on them and the owner never attempted to physically restrain them. I was SCREAMING at him, BEGGING him to get his dogs under control while my dog was panicking and I got bitten in the face and was bleeding all over (he was just trying to defend himself and I happened to be in the way, I cannot blame him AT ALL as HE was getting bitten, too!). At one point, one of the dogs charged at my dog's face and I put out my foot to kick at him. At that point, the man became belligerent and didn't seem to want to call his dogs off after that. He eventually got them under control and in the car and sped off shaking his fist and swearing out his window at me. Somehow, *I* had become the villain for doing the right thing and trying to protect my dog against his dogs who were illegally unleashed and I find that tends to be the overwhelming attitude in this city of those who choose not to leash their dogs. If it ever happened again, I would have made a run for the nearby busy intersection with my dog in my arms and hoped his got hit, I think. Not legal to carry pepper spray or bear mace in the city, I guess I am going to have to start carrying a stick.

Yes but that would be barking up the wrong tree here in the Philippines,,,fought off 4 of them yesterday

yes

Yes, all dogs should be leashed in public places.

I'm a parent and I have three dogs (a white german shepherd, a black lab, and a mini American Eskimo).
All three dogs are well-trained. My mini Eskie is the cutest, fluffiest, oh-let-me-pet-him adorable bundle out of the three. However, he was poorly treated in his first four months of life (before we got him) and is VERY skittish and has a good deal al fear aggression around strangers (males especially). Despite his cute face (see my avatar), HE is the one that would be most likely to bite, but most people are afraid of the two bigger dogs.

I do not like when people allow their kids to run up to the dogs to pet them. I put up a hand and say in a loud firm voice that I do NOT want you to touch my dog. A lot of people STILL come toward us and say things like, "Oh its ok...dogs like me" or "I'm a dog person". I don't really care. I know MY dog and he doesn't want you touching him.

One tip though: I have found that when I tell people that the dogs are in "Training", they're a lot more respectful of our wishes that they not touch or attempt to pet them.

With regard to off leash dogs just randomly running up to a child or a stranger in general? I'd defend myself/my child FIRST and ask questions later. If a dog is running at me full bore, I'm not going to be thinking "Oh he just wants to play". That's a LOT of teeth he'd potentially be playing with...and I'd rather they not be buried in my leg...or my kid's face.

, I guess I am going to have to start carrying a stick.

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please don't carry a stick, or wave a stick threateningly at a dog, this will instigate more fight in the dog, they intruprut the waving of arms (or stick) like that as threatening.

Our dog went out door with one of my children(not paying attention) , our neighbor across the street, was outside, got scared, even tho dog was still in our yard. He started yelling at the dog and waving his hands, walking towards the street, the dog, beliving someone was threatening "his family" went after the man, grabbed his arm (broke no skin) and held him. After this instance, the dog could not be outside without being upset by neighbor, got loose a 2nd time, same thing happened, and then the dog had to be put down.

When we got a new dog, the neighbor did the same thing.. UGH, Tried to explain to him what he was doing, but he wouldn't listen, we finally got an underground fence so that even tho we tie the do up, if he ever, slipped out he would leave the yard...bnut neighbor always caused problems with every dog we had

UK law differs from US law in that it merely stipulates that dogs must be under control not on a lead. Mine is a collie which heels on command. If she were ever approached by an aggressive dog, her chances of getting away unharmed are better off-lead than on.

Dogs are allowed off lead in public parks. I am not aware of us having any "dog parks" like they exist in the US.
They are not allowed in childrens play areas, which is fine.

My dog is well trained, does not approach other dogs unless allowed, does not approach other people unless allowed, does not jump up at people. Why should I limit her life because a small minority of people can't be bothered to train their dogs?

In my local area most pubs are also dog friendly. I'm glad that I live someone that's not such an adversarial environment.