Dog Talk

I wanted to take a minute to talk about dogs . . . As I had something happen today that has caused me to re-examine the situation.

I am in the truest sense of the word a dog lover. I have had the same animal living with me in close quarters for years. She is an essential member of the family. When I work she is usually at my feet.

She is highly intelligent. Extremely socially conscious and obedient.

She is also command trained. She has always been in extremely high traffic and densely populated areas. She understands the basics of what humans deem appropriate social interaction. How to cross streets and wait for signals / generally people waiting on corners and such. Not to approach other animals and such. And her basis for that decision is made regardless of a leash.

If I am taking my dog on a routine walk close to my home. I can generally do so with only the leash in my hand and she stays extremely close and always does exactly what I say.

I see some owners out there. With these hostile dogs. Whose control is based ONLY on the fact that they are being restrained. They have had insufficient training to understand how to act in social settings. I can actually walk off the path with my dog. Leaving the leash unattached and let the other animal pass going completely nuts. And my dog will not budge an inch. And I actually think it makes the other owner mad.

What I will say . . . and this could be interpreted as a controversial statement by the truly big government law in law out fanatics. As today, the owner of a dog who clearly had no control over the animal or spent any amount of time properly socializing the animal and training it . . . is that an over leashed dog that seems to have absolutely no social training seems pretty stupid. And that animal is far more dangerous than mine. And it is usually the owner of that dog who wants to yell about a leash log when their dog is the one who is absolutely out of control.

I always have the leash in my hand, and my dog will sit right by my leg unleashed while the other owner is just struggling to keep theirs in check. That struggle has nothing to do with my dog being leashed. It has to do with the fact that they have not spent any time training their dog regarding appropriate human social customs.

I can watch their anxiety peak. And their blood pressure rise. to me . . . the dogs they poses fit the very definition of a "dangerous animal." One whose only reasoning and decision base is based upon nothing more than someone holding them back. And the only safety society is being provided as a whole is based upon their ability to restrain the animal. And without that restraint that animal would clearly be a trouble maker.

There are times I really just want to yell at some guy going on and on about a leash law when HIS dog is going nuts and clearly has had ZERO socialization and mine is sitting by my leg that there should be a law about people who own dogs and don't train them how to behave or give them any kind of social radar regarding what is appropriate conduct around people.

Do you own a dog that you literally just cannot control? And if so . . . why would you keep it? How in the heck can you enjoy having an animal that every time he sees another dog tries to rip your arm off and just explodes? Do you believe that there is nothing you can do about it? And it is just how dogs are?