Am I unreasonable about this? - Page 5

[limabean]

Originally Posted by Momily

I don't understand the reasoning of "maybe they didn't see the signs". In my city there are something like 8 places, other than private yards, where dogs are allowed off leash and a million where they aren't. Almost all of the beaches I know don't allow dogs even if they are on a leash. If dogs are allowed, it's very clearly a "dog beach", but those are rare. To me, dogs being on leash is the default -- unless there's a sign saying the opposite, I assume that's the rule. So, I don't really understand how "I didn't see a sign" can be a defense.

Do other people live in places where it's common for dogs to be allowed off leash and where that might be a reasonable assumption?

I haven't really researched it, but as far as I know California has a state-wide leash law (or maybe the specifics vary by city?). In any case, I always assume that dogs should be leashed unless specifically stated otherwise, like at dog parks or dog beaches.

[lalemma]

Man, that story totally annoys me.

I love dogs. I am a dog person. There is nothing better to me than a big ole dog. And I totally understand that sometimes your dog needs to run around off-leash.

But I get terribly irked by people making excuses for their dog's behavior. "Oh, he's just excited to see you!" "He just wants to protect me!"

Whatever. Your dog - especially if you expect others to be okay with your dog to be running around off-leash where he shouldn't - needs to be a good canine citizen with good manners. I am normally a pretty laissez-faire person, but I recognize that some people are deeply terrified of dogs. So for my values, even big dopey friendly dogs rushing people they haven't been invited to meet is NOT OKAY.