The Dogmother Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Just need to get this one off my chest... There have quite a few dog thefts hereabouts recently, both of working dogs (like mine) and of pet-type, cuddly dogs too; I keep up-to-date with the bulletins from Dogwatch and watch out for suspicious activity. Mine are a sought after type, especially amongst certain groups of people, so I always keep them on the lead unless I am sure the area is secure. Also, they are very fast moving dogs, and whilst they have great recall (unless there's a bunny in sight ) they don't get let off in our local park as there are too many small children who could accidentally get bowled over when they play. I have been annoyed recently by the number of people in our park who let their off-lead dogs run up to mine; while Ruby is fine about this, Cyrus gets a bit scared by the confrontation and whimpers. Lately, there's been a very sweet, but small cavalier puppy running around off its lead, usually early in the morning and in the dark. On 3 occasions I have waited for the owner to come and get it as it doesn't have recall, and have advised that he keeps it on the lead so it doesn't go astray. This morning, I scooped it up and took it back to the owner (nice bloke but not got a clue) and explained that I could have easily stolen his adorable wee pup, and especially with Christmas coming up, this sort of dog will be a target. Turns out that this s"Ooops, word censored!" doesn't have a microchip, there were also no ID tags on its collar I really hope that it doesn't get stolen, but apart from all that... he is allowing it to run around too much for such a young dog whose bones have yet to grow and set, and he clips an extendible lead (Grrrr, I hate those) onto a collar, instead of a harness, so it zooms to the extent of the lead, and nearly breaks its own neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Leia Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 If it weren't for the fact that it would be so expensive and difficult to administer, I'd say bring back the dog licencing system. But make people take an IQ test before issuing a licence to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superkitty Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Hear hear! (Although I wonder if I'd pass the test ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 DM, you have my sympathies. I always pop Tango back on a lead when I see other dogs on lead. It's only sensible as there is usually a reason the other dog is on a lead. For all I know it could be recuperating from an operation and is not allowed to run around and play, or it could be aggressive and about to bite a chunk out of my dog! Or any other number of reasons. But as I can't tell by remote control it's only fair to put Tango on her lead too. We also have a numpty dog owning couple in our local park who bought a puppy a while back - because their daughter is scared of dogs and they thought it would help Neither of the parents seem to know anything about dogs or even like dogs for that matter. The dog is a springer x poodle so full of beans and mad as a box of frogs, but because they have no idea how to recall train it, it simply hoons about on the end of a flexi lead attached to it's collar. And sadly because neither owner likes other dogs, they spend the whole 'walk' avoiding any other dog in the park so the pup never gets to socialise and no one else ever gets to speak to them and offer any friendly advice I really feel so sorry for the pup, what a miserable life. Mind you, it's marginally less awful than the family I saw the other week with 3 collies and 3 kids. Two collies and two kids seemed to be under a degree of control, the third collie was racing around on the end of a flexi lead attached to a HEADCOLLAR with child 3 sprinting behind holding the lead. I mean seriously, what were they thinking??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 Oh good grief!!! shocked at both the flexi-lead on a head collar and that a child was walking the dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Oh that is just too sad Lavenders-blue It is such an important part of a dogs well being and happiness to say hello to other dogs. Imagine if their child wasn't allowed to mingle it's other kids? Might it be worth crossings their path and strike up a conversation and voice your concerns as general chat? What is Tango like with their dog as if she is ok with it and wants to play with it, then that would be a good step in the right direction. It does make me MAD people don't research the breed/s before getting them so they know if their are suitable. I did so much research before getting Neela. I was originally wanting a border terrier, but with the chickens thought it not the best idea. I didn't want a large or a small dog, so she is a perfect size. Still small enough to have a cuddle on my lap but tall enough to be able to pet her or give her a treat when out on walkies. Back to the OP, it really does beggar belief people don't chip their dogs! It is such a simple thing to do and such peace of mind. Would be nice if all vets checked when dogs come to their surgery. My vet did check before Neela was chipped but the last two visits they didn't And as for having a extendable lead on a collar I would be all for the dog license being brought back in. Might stop all these poor dogs being stolen. I too subscribe to dog watch and keep thinking of not reading it as it breaks my heart. Neela used to run up to all dogs in the park, whether they were keen or not, but she does seem to have grown up a bit and doesn't do it so much. Thank god as I used to get so embarrassed. She will stand and watch the other dog to see if its ok, but will 9 times out of 10 come back to me if I call her. She does have a little habit of trailing after small packs of dogs though especially a small pack of three (two labs and another cocker)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Oh good grief!!! shocked at both the flexi-lead on a head collar and that a child was walking the dog. Tell me about it, I was Oh that is just too sad Lavenders-blue It is such an important part of a dogs well being and happiness to say hello to other dogs. Imagine if their child wasn't allowed to mingle it's other kids? Might it be worth crossings their path and strike up a conversation and voice your concerns as general chat? Sadly impossible - if you start heading in their direction they turn and hot foot it away from you The woman even shut herself in the tennis courts the other day to avoid two off lead pointers that were walking past. Absolutely bonkers and very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Those extendable leads are deadly. Especially the string ones. They can wrap around anything and cut off the circulation. My brother in law has one on his collie cross. I am constantly on at him to get rid of it. He ties her up with it on because she's a bit out of control . I have labs, they are never on the lead I'm afraid, unless having coffee, or road walking. One of them is a guide dog puppy. He runs up to other dogs, but his recall is fantastic. It's something that in the past I have had to re-teach my dogs. Such an important part of obedience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 I really can't imagine not teaching a dog recall - I consider off lead time to be essential to a dog's well being, not an optional extra. When we first got Tango, she had no recall whatsoever, so we found secure areas where we could safely exercise her off lead while we worked on recall. It was an effort because it meant getting in the car for every walk and it took a long time to get her recall anywhere near reliable, but in the long run was so worth it. I now have a dog who is (mostly ) reliable off lead and much happier for it. The exception to this is where there are bunnies, deer and other lovely things to chase I have to have my wits about me and be careful about letting Tango off lead in these areas or she can quite happily disappear for extended periods of time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 it's that wormhole again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 I know, I know - the same one that your dogs seem to fall into from time to time, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Yeah, that field full of bunnies on the other side of the hedge is really a parallel universe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzi1978 Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Urgh some of this annoys me. Actually most of it. In north london there have been huge problems with dog thefts, im always very careful where i let my schnauzer off. In one of the boroughs where we live have dog wardens that check in with owners, check tags and advise on chips. They have posters everywhere explaining their laws and rules. They are mostly for the less responsible members of society and those who keep dogs for status etc. they are great and nice for people to see around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 Interestingly, I was thinking of this thread just today; there was an article in the local paper about the dog fouling problem, which really shouldn't be a problem as the council hands out free dog poo bags and there are plenty of bins to dispose of it in. I spoke to a councillor friend and said that in my view one way to reduce the amount of dog fouling in the parks would be to enforce a dogs on leads rule in all public amenity areas.. it is far harder to ignore your dog's pooing when you're attached to it by a lead! We are lucky enough to be surrounded by countryside, so it's only a case of walking 5 mins or so to an area where you can let your dogs run free without needing to scoop up after them. A dogs on leads rule would also minimise the problems we have with anti-social dogs running amok in public parks, terrorising people and other dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
