Help me stem the tide of off-leash dogs in my town
January 18, 2018 11:04 AM   Subscribe

Please help me brainstorm ways to get people in my town to stop walking their dogs off leash in violation of the leash law. All ideas welcome; even if they seem crazy, they might lead to a more practical solution. My on-leash dogs have been charged by off-leash dogs twice already this week and I've had it. I'm specifically focused on people walking dogs off-leash on the sidewalks in town. Things I've thought of so far after the jump, in increasing order of rage-fueled irrationality.

- Asking the city to step up enforcement
- Asking the city to fund signs reminding people of the leash law
- Posting regular reminders to NextDoor
- Posting regular reminders to FB and asking local friends to share
- Buying bulk .99 kennel (slip) leads and putting up a little kiosk in front of my house with a sign stating the leash law and offering the use of a lead if you don't have one (similar concept to Tiny Library), and then when I see people with off-leash dogs helpfully directing them to the kiosk
- Buying a trail cam and moving it around town to catch people in the act and then posting screenshots to a FB page devoted to shaming people into obeying the law
posted by HotToddy to Pets & Animals (30 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Ugh those people are the worst! I'm sorry you're dealing with that.

Depending on how well your town's animal control is staffed and resourced, you might consider reporting off-leash dogs every time you encounter one. And encourage others to do the same. Getting more calls will encourage animal control to step up enforcement.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:23 AM on January 18, 2018 [4 favorites]


Also:

Buying bulk .99 kennel (slip) leads and putting up a little kiosk in front of my house with a sign stating the leash law and offering the use of a lead if you don't have one (similar concept to Tiny Library), and then when I see people with off-leash dogs helpfully directing them to the kiosk

I don't think this would work. The people that do this know they're breaking the law; they just don't care. Your time, money, and energy would be better spent elsewhere, I think.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:24 AM on January 18, 2018 [14 favorites]


One summer I submitted a 311 (city services) report for every off-leash dog encounter I had in my community. It took a little bit of time and some detective work on my part (it was most effective when I could give the suspected address of the owners). I was surprised at home effective being the squeaky wheel could be.
posted by muddgirl at 11:27 AM on January 18, 2018 [18 favorites]


The people that do this know they're breaking the law; they just don't care. Your time, money, and energy would be better spent elsewhere, I think

This is pretty much spot on.
posted by Dr. Twist at 11:27 AM on January 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


I think if my doggo or i were charged by an off-leash dog more than once i'd invest in a can of pepper spray.
any owner upset with the outcome could explain why their dog was unleashed to whomever they complained to.
posted by OHenryPacey at 11:32 AM on January 18, 2018 [16 favorites]


Work to develop conveniently accessed areas where dogs ARE allowed off-leash.
posted by metasarah at 11:40 AM on January 18, 2018 [31 favorites]


I think the people who are selfish and just don't care will never be reached, but I also think there's a large group of people who have just never considered that they're endangering their own dog, and actively harming both people and dogs who are dog-phobic. I would suggest working on ways to develop an information campaign around that. LOTS of people have a dog phobia and it's shitty to ask them to face that every time they're out walking. Lots of people (yours truly) have reactive dogs that we keep on leash and off-leashers are putting their OWN dogs in danger if they let their dog freely approach leashed dogs who might snap or lunge. We keep reactive dogs on leashes so that we can control their behavior. This is moot if you let your dog run right up to mine. No one can retreat faster than a running dog.

People with off-leash dogs actively restrict which parks, beaches etc we can enjoy because we know which ones have too many people not following the rules. I like to think that you can at least make a dent in people that haven't realized how deeply this affects others.
posted by nakedmolerats at 11:51 AM on January 18, 2018 [18 favorites]


You might be able to get some change just by posting signs everywhere asking people to call Animal Control about off-leash dogs, with AC's phone number on it.
posted by rhizome at 12:10 PM on January 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


I'm sorry this is happening to you. Call your elected official - city councilor, town manager, etc., and talk to them about it. Ask them to help you encourage animal control and the police to enforce existing laws. NextDoor seems to be where people are discussing local issues. Post frequently about the assaults on your dog, dangers to all dogs, people who are dog-phobic or just don't want to be charged by a loose dog, the law. Be super-positive and polite, because people can be right jerks about dog issues. Maybe print up flyers and post them.
posted by theora55 at 12:21 PM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Call animal control. When a dog charges you, report them as a dangerous dog. Pursue lawsuits for damages to your dog by offleash dogs (vet bills, time out of work to go to the vet) if its significant.

These people are the biggest jerkwads.
Signed,
Owner of 2 dogs (1 reactive) with no yard who walks them twice a day and actually had to develop a route where there is the least possibility of running in to loose dogs because so many people are jerks and I feel your pain.
posted by WeekendJen at 12:53 PM on January 18, 2018 [15 favorites]


OHenryPacey, I agree with you, but only if you're spraying the owner rather than the dog.

Maybe locate the off-leash areas near you and tell the owners, "Please obey the leash law around here; there's an off-leash area _____."
posted by at at 1:17 PM on January 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


I carry a can of bear mace with me when I'm out with my dog. It's a great visual deterrent. I start shaking it up whenever I see an off leash dog & it's owner. The owner will usually get the hint pretty quick and leash up their mutt. Thankfully, I've never had to use it.
posted by cwarmy at 1:18 PM on January 18, 2018 [15 favorites]


I've had some success with hollering at people who do this that they need to put their dogs on a leash. Of course, I don't necessarily recommend this and follow your intuition with regard to your safety. I usually have shouted something like "You need to put your dog on a leash!" or "Keep your dog on a leash!" (I've shouted because the owners are not anywhere as close to me as their freakin' dogs, not because I'm extra confrontational or something.)

Nthing squeaky wheel gets the grease.
posted by purple_bird at 1:21 PM on January 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


[Take pictures and] call animal control. Every time.
posted by freezer cake at 1:33 PM on January 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


I wouldn't call the police. It will, as people are saying, solve some individual cases of off-leash dogs.

However, working on making some off-leash dog areas for dogs to play, while a more challenging project, is entirely doable, and would have a more long-lasting effect and be better for the off-leash dogs who get to use it. Besides, I can't think of any city I've ever been in that had enough parks.
posted by aniola at 1:38 PM on January 18, 2018


Response by poster: I would like to add a bit to my question: If you have any ideas for particularly compelling things I can say to people--things that might move them to realize what selfish assholes they're being and change their evil ways--I'd love to hear them. I have no problem talking to and/or yelling at people.

(Also, just to clarify, this is a small rural town with TONS of off-leash hiking opportunities and a designated off-leash park.)
posted by HotToddy at 1:41 PM on January 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


This happens a lot near me, too. What I tell people is this:

It doesn't matter how good YOUR dog is, because you never now how good or bad another dog is going to be. If you let your dog run off leash illegally, you are ultimately responsible for anything that happens to your dog as a result of that. Your very, very good dog could easily run up to a very bad dog who is otherwise leashed and under control and get bitten. Don't take the chance.
posted by ancient star at 1:45 PM on January 18, 2018 [5 favorites]


Ugh, I feel your pain. I hate hearing "my dog is friendly". My dog is not is what I yell back. My dog is usually barking and lunging by this time so they get the message to control their dog.

I don't think there is a solution. A percentage of the dog owning population are inconsiderate entitled jerks. I move off sidewalks, check around corners, alter my route(my current solution), and ask people to get their dog away from mine. The only time I have peaceful walks is in the rain and late at night. Good luck.
posted by cairnoflore at 2:48 PM on January 18, 2018 [5 favorites]


It can be helpful to flip it around so it's not about how nice and harmless their off-leash dog is and make the narrative about how they don't know the circumstances of the on-leash dogs their dog is running up to. The Yellow Dog Project can be useful for examples to give as to why another dog may need space.

I've been on both sides of this issue.

My first dog was a happy-go-lucky goofball. We didn't have a yard, and there weren't any official off-leash areas (certainly not within walking distance, and we didn't have a car), so my roommate let him off-leash at a large park nearby, along with a lot of other dogs whose owners had the same circumstances. Sometimes some random stranger would yell at someone in our loosely organized doggie social club that it was Against The Law to let your dog off-leash, and the response from the doggie social club was usually "Geez, what's their problem? Our dogs are nice, and dogs need to run...".

Our second dog spent the first 6 years of her life at a Breeder's, on a farm, as the Boss of her pack. After moving to the city she still expected every dog she encountered to be properly submissive towards her - she was the boss after all - and could get aggressive if they weren't. We were never able to train this behaviour out of her, but since she was only 10lbs she was easy enough to manage.

However: My roommate lost count of the number of times he had to hoist our dog practically over his head to keep her out of reach of someone's enthusiastic golden retriever, and hold her there (thrashing & growling) while the other dog's owner protested "No, it's okay! My dog is friendly!" and did nothing to pull it back (this was an issue with both on and off-leash dogs). Like, that's great that your dog is friendly. Ours isn't. And if we don't keep her out of reach she may try to bite your dog, and then your dog may defend itself, which, worst case scenario, could wind up with our dog dead and your dog scheduled to be mandatorily put down by the city for killing another dog.

So, anyway, from my experience, narratives are more effective than reminders of illegality (they know), or increased policing (people gamble it won't affect them). Some dog owners are selfish jerks, and you won't have much luck with them anyway. But a lot of people just haven't thought it through past "But my dog is friendly..." and those people can be reached.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 3:26 PM on January 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


I’m a tiny woman with a friendly dog. When dogs charge us, some strange boot camp commander comes out of me. I get my dog behind me and face down the charging dog with a giant “NO!” which continues on to (still in all caps), “Get your dog. Now. You cannot have your dog off leash for it’s own safety! You need to put it on a leash right now. What if your dog runs into the road...” etc. etc. in the most commandeering voice imaginable. I don’t ask, I tell.

Basically, I shock them into compliance. Then, when they apologize, I offer to help them by asking them if they need a leash, help getting their dog fixed, etc.

(I’m for hire...)
posted by Vaike at 4:05 PM on January 18, 2018 [7 favorites]


I really love dogs. I hate owners who are so self-centered to off-leash them.

"Narratives are more effective than reminders of illegality" -- sure, this is always the case, but obligating the victim to stop and tell you a story to make you realize what you're doing is wrong, when you know it's wrong, is a little ridiculous, don't you think?

Sometimes, I don't want to stop what I'm doing to tell some self-centered jerk a story.

Sometimes, the self-centered jerk doesn't want to hear a story.

Several times, I've been out on a run and chased by dogs.

In the best case scenario, the dog is just friendly, keeps up with me and the lazy owner is forced to run themselves ragged to make sure their dog doesn't disappear. My act of charity is to pick a path that won't lead the dog into traffic. There's a narrative for you, and I don't even have to say anything, nor throw an unexpected break into my training session.

In the worst case scenario, I get bit and the owner faces a lawsuit.

That's not to say I haven't stopped my workouts before to talk to dog owners, especially the ones who say "don't worry, he's friendly, he won't bite."

There was one time I explained to an owner, "yes, you know that, but I don't. It's like if I started throwing kicks and punches at your head, and said 'don't worry, I'm just shadow-boxing, I won't hit you.' "

That got the message across really quick.

That said, I agree this won't work:

Buying bulk .99 kennel (slip) leads and putting up a little kiosk in front of my house with a signB stating the leash law and offering the use of a lead if you don't have one (similar concept to Tiny Library), and then when I see people with off-leash dogs helpfully directing them to the kiosk

It's extremely charitable of you to think it would, but I think people basically off-leash their dogs because they don't want to have something attached to them, tugging at them all the time, occupying their attention -- not because they can't afford, or forgot, their leashes.
posted by Borborygmus at 6:01 PM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Ugh, this drives me bananas - I used to walk trails with my kids when they were small and they were charged so many times by super-playful, large dogs, that they were seriously terrified of dogs for a few years (and despise nature walks). Anyway, maybe this is a bad idea (illegal, even?), but what about snapping a photo of the dog/owner and sending that to Animal Control? As long as doing so wouldn’t generate a confrontation. Though I suppose that would be difficult to gauge ahead of time.
posted by dreamphone at 6:45 PM on January 18, 2018


I have a little handheld taser that I got on amazon. It's very effective at getting dogs and owners to back off.

I believe that dogs need to run off leash and that a life spent being walked on a leash on the street is no life for a dog., with a few exceptions. But I take mine to the off-leash area or to the "voice control" mixed use area and when I go there I go with a handful of treats to my voice commands are treated like the voice of god.
posted by fshgrl at 9:39 PM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Ask them if they've ever considered how they would break up an ugly dog fight caused by their unleashed dog running up to a reactive or aggressive dog on a leash, how many stitches they're interested in receiving, and how much money they've saved up to pay for yours.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 7:08 AM on January 19, 2018 [3 favorites]


If you have any ideas for particularly compelling things I can say to people--things that might move them to realize what selfish assholes they're being and change their evil ways--I'd love to hear them.

If you're with your dog - "my dog is not friendly!" Even if it's not true, it's a plausible deterrent and it may be true for the next on-leash dog they come across. I do have a reactive dog and I'm almost glad that my area has the critical mass of reactive dogs needed to keep people from doing stupid stuff (off-leash walks or unwanted dog-dog encounters) unthinkingly.
posted by mosst at 7:38 AM on January 19, 2018


Also: I keep my dog on-leash because I care about his safety and others', not because I'm afraid of a fine (if it was only the latter - I'd probably take the chance when it's quieter outside!). Similarly, I pick up my dog's poop because I want a nice/clean/safe community, not because of a fine (again - otherwise, what's to stop me when there's nobody around?). I think I'm in good company and most people who do leash their dogs are also doing it for health & safety reasons so appealing to those motivations is going to be much more effective than the threat of law enforcement.
posted by mosst at 7:46 AM on January 19, 2018


Oh that is tough. I grew up in a rural town and hardly anybody leashed their dogs, my family included when we would walk on the road to neighbors houses. The people who leashed their dogs had aggressive dogs. I don't remember any to-do about this. Sounds like the culture of the place is you live in is No leashes?
posted by pintapicasso at 11:21 AM on January 19, 2018


I just re-read your question and you called the place you live in a city, so maybe my comment does not apply, sorry!
posted by pintapicasso at 11:22 AM on January 19, 2018


I usually tell them that my previous dog was killed by a "friendly" dog, if they try to tell me "don't worry, he/she is friendly!". I doubt it actually changes anyone's mind, but I hope it makes them think a little bit about it. I have talked to many other dog owners with similar stories.

Honestly I think the way I jump to protect my dogs and grab them to pick them up when a bigger dog gets close has done more to deter people than a lot of things, though it doesn't help for the people who let their dogs run offleash all day without them.
posted by freezer cake at 12:51 PM on January 19, 2018


Perhaps an obvious suggestion, but: can you use Facebook and NextDoor to recruit other people to your cause? If you consistently remind people of the law, and report those who don't comply, that will help. But if you can multiple yourself by 10, you might have a better chance of changing the culture.
posted by MrBobinski at 5:07 PM on January 20, 2018


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