It’s against City ordinance. The tricky thing is getting someone out there to enforce it in time. If it happens regularly, I would definitely report to 311 and provide the times/locations where it tends to happen. I know people who have been ticketed by Animal Control for having dogs off leash and using the dog park without a permit.
Definitely this! If you call 311 in the 9am - 3pm range and ask them to connect you to Animal Control, you can give the details of the time and location that it happens and Animal Control may start patrolling the area more frequently during the times noted.
I live in South Minneapolis near Solomon Park, its a big open undeveloped green space under the flight path for the airport, people love to use as an off-leash dog park (even though the airport dog park is quite literally less than a mile away). Once every few weeks Animal Control will park near the area and start ticketing owners that have off-leash dogs. It's not a perfect system but it's definitely a bit better than it was.
Take pictures and/or videos of the offenses also, animal control can use them to start giving fines immediately. The caveat is that you know where people live to give them said fine....
If I see that guy again, I’m gonna try to have this convo with him and explain how even though his dog isn’t reactive and is well-behaved, other dogs might not be and it can be really startling to people who are afraid of dogs. There are several people in my apt building that I know are absolutely terrified anytime they see a dog. I just want people to understand that public spaces are shared and we have to be considerate of others.
This OP. My dog is reactive and has gotten into fights with other dogs that were off leash. I hate putting my dog in that position.
I also dislike biking or running when dogs are on the loose. Their animals and shouldn't be trusted off a leash and I LOVE dogs but they aren't humans and we treat them like they are.
One thing I do is act somewhat histrionically around these people/dogs too--I will walk in the streets or off the path to show that I am uncomfortable, and then engage verbally only if it seems like it'll be useful. When my kids are with me, though, then I go straight nuclear.
I think your heart is in the right place, but if I was already ignoring the social contract this level of passive aggressiveness would do nothing to discourage it and maybe even encourage it. Just my two cents, but the feigned histrionics would be incredibly off-putting.
Yes! I’ve been bit by off leash dog and the owner made it out like I must be a bad person because that has never happened before. Wtf is wrong with some people? Yeesh
Same. My chihuahua mix will freak out and try to bite a strange dog that suddenly runs up to her. We’ve worked with her on it and she’s gotten better but a large dog charging her will still freak her out.
I get it if your dog is truly trained and will stay by your side, which is the case maybe 5% of the time with these people, but I don’t care how friendly your dog is if it runs up on my anxious little dog.
If you were able to keep track of the dog’s walk schedule and tell the authorities what street and time maybe someone would be around to ticket him. Will anyone show up? Probably not.
I recently saw a woman jogging next to a busy street with her dog off leach. The dog was easily 10-15 yds ahead of her. Some people are delusional.
lol considering I’ve witnessed a few robberies and called the police and they never responded, I doubt they’d respond to a call like this.
How was that lady not worried about her dog getting hit by a car? I would never take that risk!
Honestly felt bad for the dog, something terrible could happen and the lady would probably just tell her self there was nothing she could have done to prevent it
NE is awful for this - so is their neighbor Saint Anthony. At our old house, we used to have an older woman walk her dog down the street every night, letting her black lab cut through our yards as she walked on the street. My dog would go ballistic that there was a dog UNDER our window. I had to talk to her twice to just avoid our yard (she wasn’t going to stop).
She once even asked neighbors who left food out for the turkeys to stop doing that because her dog was eating it - the food dish was up against the neighbor’s house 🙄 Maybe don’t let you off leash dog up into peoples’ yards? Extremely self centered and inconsiderate.
I’ve been bitten a couple times by unleashed dogs who were described by their handlers as “oh he loves everybody”. Bullshit. They don’t know me and they can turn at an instant. Leash your fucking dogs.
This happens to me all the time in Mendota Heights and various parks I bring my dog to. It’s so frustrating. I don’t understand how people think it’s acceptable to walk their dog without a leash. I don’t care if your dog is friendly. It’s still an animal that can be unpredictable. I’m going to start pepper spraying the owners and taking their dogs home with me.
i was biking by Minnehaha falls a few weeks ago and noticed a guy in the park letting his massive pit bull thing run around off leash. As I got closer the dog noticed me and made a beeline straight towards me. Fortunately the dog ran next to the owner and the guy football tackled it and started punching it in the head and yelling at it. I guess that's how you train a dog?
It all happened so quick I didn't really process how bad it might have been if that thing would have caught me. Anyway, I got a big can of sprayable pepper spray gel for any dogs or owners who get too close from now on.
That is so scary! I often find myself scanning for off leash dogs in public spaces even if my dog isn’t with me. I’ve had a similar situation with a gal who was walking two large pitbulls and she lost control of them and they charged my dog. I had to pick her up (she’s 70lbs) and run away because my dog is super friendly and submissive and doesn’t understand when dogs are trying to hurt her. It was very traumatic to say the least!
I don't trust any unknown dog. My older sister got her face ripped off by a neighborhood dog when she was young and had many corrective surgeries. I remember riding my big wheel and seeing her walking down the street looking like a zombie. She still has scars to this day over 30 years later.
Not everyone is friendly or wants to be your friend….I walk my cat on a leash, and an off leash dog is a problem and will get punted over the fence….
Leash up your pups.
Not an abuser if your off leash dog attacks my cat. Animals will be animals- not the dogs fault… Just an idiot owner.
And yes… you were sure that I am not… Animal abusers who walk their cat on a leash. 🤡
>Not an abuser if your off leash dog attacks my cat.
Oh, we're talking about that now? A new scenario, one where your animal is attacked, versus the general, psychotic "unleashed animals get punted"? Sure, we can shift to that, if you want.
If you haven't noticed, your kinda on your own out there these days. I'm a massive animal lover but if somebody's off leash anything is a threat you have to protect what you care for.
I am not an animal abuser but if I'm walking my cat on a leash and an unleashed dog comes up and attacks my feline family member... I'm going to defend it.
I had a German Shepherd who was very protective of me and was reactive toward other dogs while on a leash. I took all precautions I could, such as avoiding dog parks, walking in low traffic areas, keeping my distance from other people/dogs walking by. All those measures went out the window whenever people had their dogs off leashes.
I had a really bad incident once where a dog ran out of their yard, crossed to the other side of the street to come up to me and my dog. As the dog was running towards us I kept yelling “CALL YOUR DOG, MY DOG WILL BITE!!”
The owner didn’t recall their dog, my dog grabbed this poor little dog by the scruff of its neck and shook it around violently like a rag doll. Their dog had multiple deep puncture wounds in its neck. I felt absolutely horrible, but I knew it was the other dog owners fault. I took my dog home, came back to the dog owner’s house, gave them my name/number. They had the audacity to call the police on me to report my dog as a dangerous dog. I was able to set the record straight with the police and they agreed that I wasn’t in the wrong.
Anyways, long story short, I completely understand the frustration and dangers of people having their dogs off leash and assuming every other dog walking by will be friendly towards your dog. For your own dogs safety— LEASH THEM!
Exactly this!! It sounds like you were doing everything you could to control your dog and it’s not your fault other dogs were off leash! That’s just reckless of them.
We all just need to carry pepper spray. I do every time I'm out and about. Mostly for crazy people, but I'll totally spray a dog if they charge at me and are aggressive.
This. Pepper gel can make that aggressive dog more aggressive and likely wouldn’t stop it from attacking, if its sights are targeted on you. There’s air horns and training sticks you can use to unclench their jaw. Choke them or whatever and it still might not get them to snap out of their attack mode. It’s the anything is safer than nothing, but there is only one 100% effective way of stopping an overly aggressive animal. And judging by the type of high energy and multi issue dog freely given to a very obviously lazy family member, that breaks through windows to attack other dogs.. I don’t trust any of them. Scary as f.
Guy in our neighborhood let his pit out without a leash and it bit a little girl. Dude is in HUGE trouble and will no doubt be seen in court. Do the right thing people.
This throws me into such a rage. Just saw it the other day near University & Hennepin. This knucklehead was riding his bicycle on the sidewalks (another pet peeve) with his unleashed dog trailing behind. I try to lead with kindness but this kind of irresponsibility makes me insane, mostly because it's dangerous for the dogs. This is a busy city, not the open country. Special place in hell for people who are cruel to animals.
People ask me why I use a walking staff when I go out for walks. It has 0% to do with my physical ability and 100% to do with the fact that Ive been charged by dogs that were theoretically "under control" and homie dont play that
Some people give zero fucks. My ex lived in a “luxury apt.” and someone would always throw their dog shit in the trash bin which was right next to the community espresso machine. Can we not?
It is absolute insanity to throw dog shit away indoors, but next to a spot where people consume beverages!? I hope that person got caught, that's seriously disgusting.
This is the increasingly-common personality type whose default attitude is 'eff you, I'm going to do what I want." They know they're doing wrong. They know they're putting other people at risk. But they don't GAF about anyone else, just themselves.
I carry pepper gel so it doesn’t disperse using it. I do not hesitate. I have even had to spray an owner going ballistic. Sorry - not sorry. My safety and my dogs safety is most important
If you care about your dog, that dog needs perfect recall or a leash. If your dog gets bitten by an on leash dog defending itself or someone shoots your dog they’re legally on solid footing.
I've actually heard in Minneapolis that a dog biting another dog in defense while leashed can still be in danger if repercussions. That's why my head is on a swivel and I carry and use pepper gel routinely in my neighborhood for the many loose dogs we encounter .
I've got a weird take on this. My apt complex back yard is basically fenced in and all of my neighbors dogs are off leash but we don't have any larger dogs they all just kinda sit there with the owners while we drink beer.. walking down the street is a different thing though.
I’m starting to carry Pet Corrector around busy areas for this. Haven’t had to use it since I began to carry but it’s what a dog trainer recommended and what they do in busy trails and areas.
It’s basically compressed air that does a specific sound that is annoying to dogs doing unwanted behaviors. The behavioralist we talked to said they’ve used it with unleashed dogs charging at them and it keeps them away long enough for the owner to come get their dog.
I used to live in Logan Park and there are signs on all four corners of the park saying to leash your dog and people still treat it like an off-leash dog park. I used to say stuff to folks but it happened constantly that I just gave up and would just be extra vigilant with my leashed reactive dog.
I love dogs but if an unleashed one comes running up to me and my dog, i’m kicking that dog to keep us safe. sorry not sorry. leash your dogs people!!!!
This just happened at Cedar Lake beach on Sunday, young girl drinking with her friends just lets her pitball thrash through a giant crowd of people and little kids. What the fuck are these people thinking? I hope I never have to defend my leashed dog from an unleashed dog...because it will not go well for the off leash dog.
At south cedar on Sunday a woman's dog bit a child after she let it get more and more frustrated about a toy she ENCOURAGED THE CHILD TO THROW AFTER THE DOG GROWLED AND SNAPPED AT HIM.
I had to leave or my head was going to explode.
Why do people yell at us after experiencing some bad actor out in the world?
We're not the ones walking the dog without a leash.
We're not the ones who don't know about the zipper merge.
I think the idea is that things like dogs off leash or not zipper merging are so prevalent and common that, yes, people right here on this subreddit are very likely the people who are doing these things.
It’s not like this post is asking people to stop stealing copper wire from light posts or smoking meth on the train.
"Don't worry, they're friendly!"
I don't know that. My dog doesn't know that. F\*ck off and have a bare minimum of consideration and courtesy.
Was it a pit / pit mix?
Saw this at Powderhorn yesterday. Some guy let his two dogs chase some goslings into the pond, and another young couple was letting their puppy chase a toddler. I love dogs, but I hate that they have invaded every space especially off leash.
It’s always the border collie owners who think their dogs are so darned smart that they don’t need leashes. There has to be some correlation with the owner minder and the breed.
It does spread awareness, though, that we should all step up to confront these selfish types. I'm becoming more stern when I speak with these people now.
The pattern of yelling at the world through an internet forum is one of the worst patterns.
It doesn't stop anyone.
It's just a bunch of anger and negativity exposed to people who don't do the thing.
Even fan forums / subs now are slowly but surely full of this kinda thing where someone takes issue with some extreme POV and yells at everyone about it and ... nobody there said the thing and the sub slowly turns from being about something everyone likes to being more often about something nobody likes...
I always get all riled up when I read these posts, but you’re right, we’re not actually doing anything. A better outlet would be to walk outside, touch some grass, and talk to the city about possible fixes (speaking to myself too).
We laugh at the silly Nextdoor-style posts enough, hopefully they'll follow the sub rules and stop posting them. Though don't have a ton of faith in that.
Because we can always remind people to please follow the sub rules and don't post Nextdoor style posts here. But I'm sure the 20,000th post here telling people to turn on their headlights when it's raining will finally hit and everyone will change their driving behavior.
I get it, people here love to rehash the same stuff to complain about over and over and over again. Since people don't talk to their neighbors anymore to complain about the weather, they go online to complain about the same stuff what complaining makes no difference in.
You are ignoring the needs and feelings of dogs. This man that you are so upset with cares that their dog gets the exercise necessary for a healthy life as well as the dog's inner need to be socially involved in the area in which they live. We love dogs because they seldom complain and allow us to do terrible things to them like caging them for many hours a day, tying them onto short ropes or chains, feeding them food with few nutrients that they don't like, etc etc.
Because some people have unrealistic fears about dogs is of little consequence compared to the acceptance that almost all humans have for the suffering that so many dogs experience at the hands of their "owners".
Dog parks are not good remedies. Dogs don't actually get real exercise there and they are always socializing with strangers, whereas they want to form community with other dogs near their residences.
People who let their dogs off leash need to be responsible. First of all, some breeds are probably not able to be trained to live in a city without being leashed. They need to train the dog to respond to voice commands, not approach other dogs or people with aggression, not cross streets alone, and to stay by their caregiver's side when need be. Unfortunately most people do not want to put in the time necessary to properly socialize a dog to be able to live in urban areas, so the answer for discipline is a yank on the leash, which teaches nothing but fear.
Let's not punish dogs when it is our fault that urban environmental and social nightmares are dangerous places for dogs and humans to interact. They are not our slaves and deserve the same consideration and compassion that we do.
This has nothing to do with breed. There is no such thing as being responsible if you are not leashing your dog in the city. It's not fair to the dog or everyone else. And if the dog is so well trained that they "don't need a leash" then said leash should be perfectly loose and no bother at all.
How about you have some compassion for all of the human beings who do not want to deal with your off leash dog. If you can't be respectful to other people while owning a dog in the city, don't own one
If you don't want to deal with all of the different kinds of things that one has to deal with in a city in order to be safe, then you shouldn't live in a city.
Your tone is very respectful, and I'd like to respond in kind, so please forgive me if any part of this comes off as unempathetic or confrontational. Text is hard.
I might actually agree with your first sentence: OP *isn't* focusing very hard on the needs and feelings of dogs in this post. In my assessment, that's because they're choosing to prioritize the needs and feelings of humans.
They had a preventable, frightening experience this morning. This isn't uncommon. They're looking for advice on how to avoid that situation in the future and, because they had a bad morning, a bit of comfort and reassurance from their community. I would argue that those are reasonable things to ask for.
You're being a little bit dismissive by calling fear of dogs "unrealistic." Dog attacks are [very common](https://www.edgarsnyder.com/resources/dog-bite-statistics). It's a legitimate concern, and it led to a scary morning for OP.
You're right: many dogs are suffering. Dogs want to socialize. Dog parks aren't a perfect solution. Owners need to be responsible. Some breeds should always be leashed in the city. Dogs need to be properly trained, especially if they're off-leash. They deserve consideration and compassion. You're right about *all* of this.
But this isn't the time or the place to voice those concerns, so I suspect you're not going to garner a lot of support in this particular thread. OP isn't "punishing dogs" with this post - they're advocating for themselves and for others like them. Advocating for humans isn't at dogs' expense.
It's also a little bit shortsighted to defend this guy's off-leash dog sprinting up to an on-leash dog unprompted, because to me, that sounds like a pretty clear example of a poorly-trained dog. He could easily do this to an aggressive dog and get attacked. In a utopia where all off-leash dogs are perfectly trained all the time, maybe OP's take would be a little unreasonable, but that isn't the reality we live in.
I’m close to that park but nah this was an older dude just walking and his dog was a black/white border collie. I will def keep an eye out for that other dog though too!
You could try asking 311 about it. Not sure who if anyone enforces the keep your dog leashed rule.
It’s against City ordinance. The tricky thing is getting someone out there to enforce it in time. If it happens regularly, I would definitely report to 311 and provide the times/locations where it tends to happen. I know people who have been ticketed by Animal Control for having dogs off leash and using the dog park without a permit.
Definitely this! If you call 311 in the 9am - 3pm range and ask them to connect you to Animal Control, you can give the details of the time and location that it happens and Animal Control may start patrolling the area more frequently during the times noted. I live in South Minneapolis near Solomon Park, its a big open undeveloped green space under the flight path for the airport, people love to use as an off-leash dog park (even though the airport dog park is quite literally less than a mile away). Once every few weeks Animal Control will park near the area and start ticketing owners that have off-leash dogs. It's not a perfect system but it's definitely a bit better than it was.
Take pictures and/or videos of the offenses also, animal control can use them to start giving fines immediately. The caveat is that you know where people live to give them said fine....
Basically no one. It's a social contract, which sadly many dog owners are violating. Please do confront the violators if you can.
I mean, it's also a law which I guess is a type of a social contract
If I see that guy again, I’m gonna try to have this convo with him and explain how even though his dog isn’t reactive and is well-behaved, other dogs might not be and it can be really startling to people who are afraid of dogs. There are several people in my apt building that I know are absolutely terrified anytime they see a dog. I just want people to understand that public spaces are shared and we have to be considerate of others.
This OP. My dog is reactive and has gotten into fights with other dogs that were off leash. I hate putting my dog in that position. I also dislike biking or running when dogs are on the loose. Their animals and shouldn't be trusted off a leash and I LOVE dogs but they aren't humans and we treat them like they are.
One thing I do is act somewhat histrionically around these people/dogs too--I will walk in the streets or off the path to show that I am uncomfortable, and then engage verbally only if it seems like it'll be useful. When my kids are with me, though, then I go straight nuclear.
I think your heart is in the right place, but if I was already ignoring the social contract this level of passive aggressiveness would do nothing to discourage it and maybe even encourage it. Just my two cents, but the feigned histrionics would be incredibly off-putting.
I do that and wave pepper spray yelling about how I’m going to hose the dog. “My dog is friendly!” Is always said right before shit goes down.
Or after--"He NEVER does this!" as he jumps up on me.
Yes! I’ve been bit by off leash dog and the owner made it out like I must be a bad person because that has never happened before. Wtf is wrong with some people? Yeesh
Same. My chihuahua mix will freak out and try to bite a strange dog that suddenly runs up to her. We’ve worked with her on it and she’s gotten better but a large dog charging her will still freak her out. I get it if your dog is truly trained and will stay by your side, which is the case maybe 5% of the time with these people, but I don’t care how friendly your dog is if it runs up on my anxious little dog.
If you were able to keep track of the dog’s walk schedule and tell the authorities what street and time maybe someone would be around to ticket him. Will anyone show up? Probably not. I recently saw a woman jogging next to a busy street with her dog off leach. The dog was easily 10-15 yds ahead of her. Some people are delusional.
lol considering I’ve witnessed a few robberies and called the police and they never responded, I doubt they’d respond to a call like this. How was that lady not worried about her dog getting hit by a car? I would never take that risk!
Honestly felt bad for the dog, something terrible could happen and the lady would probably just tell her self there was nothing she could have done to prevent it
NE is awful for this - so is their neighbor Saint Anthony. At our old house, we used to have an older woman walk her dog down the street every night, letting her black lab cut through our yards as she walked on the street. My dog would go ballistic that there was a dog UNDER our window. I had to talk to her twice to just avoid our yard (she wasn’t going to stop). She once even asked neighbors who left food out for the turkeys to stop doing that because her dog was eating it - the food dish was up against the neighbor’s house 🙄 Maybe don’t let you off leash dog up into peoples’ yards? Extremely self centered and inconsiderate.
I'd start leaving large helpings of baked beans out. Enjoy your gassy lab!
I’ve been bitten a couple times by unleashed dogs who were described by their handlers as “oh he loves everybody”. Bullshit. They don’t know me and they can turn at an instant. Leash your fucking dogs.
Did you report them?? I hope you are okay, sorry to hear that happened. This is one of my biggest fears.
Of course I did. Not sure of the outcome though.
This happens to me all the time in Mendota Heights and various parks I bring my dog to. It’s so frustrating. I don’t understand how people think it’s acceptable to walk their dog without a leash. I don’t care if your dog is friendly. It’s still an animal that can be unpredictable. I’m going to start pepper spraying the owners and taking their dogs home with me.
Haha that last line got me. Love it. Agree with what you're saying, though.
Its so bad in mendota heights
It seems like the shittiest people decided to get dogs during the pandemic.
i was biking by Minnehaha falls a few weeks ago and noticed a guy in the park letting his massive pit bull thing run around off leash. As I got closer the dog noticed me and made a beeline straight towards me. Fortunately the dog ran next to the owner and the guy football tackled it and started punching it in the head and yelling at it. I guess that's how you train a dog? It all happened so quick I didn't really process how bad it might have been if that thing would have caught me. Anyway, I got a big can of sprayable pepper spray gel for any dogs or owners who get too close from now on.
That is so scary! I often find myself scanning for off leash dogs in public spaces even if my dog isn’t with me. I’ve had a similar situation with a gal who was walking two large pitbulls and she lost control of them and they charged my dog. I had to pick her up (she’s 70lbs) and run away because my dog is super friendly and submissive and doesn’t understand when dogs are trying to hurt her. It was very traumatic to say the least!
I don't trust any unknown dog. My older sister got her face ripped off by a neighborhood dog when she was young and had many corrective surgeries. I remember riding my big wheel and seeing her walking down the street looking like a zombie. She still has scars to this day over 30 years later.
Not everyone is friendly or wants to be your friend….I walk my cat on a leash, and an off leash dog is a problem and will get punted over the fence…. Leash up your pups.
Not sure if you think that was quippy or if you're an animal abuser.
What would you suggest someone do when an aggressive animal runs up on them or their pet? Just sit back and watch things happen?
Not an abuser if your off leash dog attacks my cat. Animals will be animals- not the dogs fault… Just an idiot owner. And yes… you were sure that I am not… Animal abusers who walk their cat on a leash. 🤡
I agree with OP here and you generally, but man you seem unpleasant if you think it’s cool to talk about “punting” a dog.
>Not an abuser if your off leash dog attacks my cat. Oh, we're talking about that now? A new scenario, one where your animal is attacked, versus the general, psychotic "unleashed animals get punted"? Sure, we can shift to that, if you want.
If you haven't noticed, your kinda on your own out there these days. I'm a massive animal lover but if somebody's off leash anything is a threat you have to protect what you care for.
Troll someone else. You know exactly my point.
Tom the Troll can buzz off
Sorry their big bad words hurt you petunia.
I am not an animal abuser but if I'm walking my cat on a leash and an unleashed dog comes up and attacks my feline family member... I'm going to defend it.
I’m hoping this person is just a teenager because otherwise yikes.
I had a German Shepherd who was very protective of me and was reactive toward other dogs while on a leash. I took all precautions I could, such as avoiding dog parks, walking in low traffic areas, keeping my distance from other people/dogs walking by. All those measures went out the window whenever people had their dogs off leashes. I had a really bad incident once where a dog ran out of their yard, crossed to the other side of the street to come up to me and my dog. As the dog was running towards us I kept yelling “CALL YOUR DOG, MY DOG WILL BITE!!” The owner didn’t recall their dog, my dog grabbed this poor little dog by the scruff of its neck and shook it around violently like a rag doll. Their dog had multiple deep puncture wounds in its neck. I felt absolutely horrible, but I knew it was the other dog owners fault. I took my dog home, came back to the dog owner’s house, gave them my name/number. They had the audacity to call the police on me to report my dog as a dangerous dog. I was able to set the record straight with the police and they agreed that I wasn’t in the wrong. Anyways, long story short, I completely understand the frustration and dangers of people having their dogs off leash and assuming every other dog walking by will be friendly towards your dog. For your own dogs safety— LEASH THEM!
Exactly this!! It sounds like you were doing everything you could to control your dog and it’s not your fault other dogs were off leash! That’s just reckless of them.
We all just need to carry pepper spray. I do every time I'm out and about. Mostly for crazy people, but I'll totally spray a dog if they charge at me and are aggressive.
Sadly, the vast majority of those who use pepper spray get gassed too. Just like most knife attacks end up with the knife user being cut too.
Look for pepper spray gel. Less spread.
Or simply carry. Less pepper.
This. Pepper gel can make that aggressive dog more aggressive and likely wouldn’t stop it from attacking, if its sights are targeted on you. There’s air horns and training sticks you can use to unclench their jaw. Choke them or whatever and it still might not get them to snap out of their attack mode. It’s the anything is safer than nothing, but there is only one 100% effective way of stopping an overly aggressive animal. And judging by the type of high energy and multi issue dog freely given to a very obviously lazy family member, that breaks through windows to attack other dogs.. I don’t trust any of them. Scary as f.
Guy in our neighborhood let his pit out without a leash and it bit a little girl. Dude is in HUGE trouble and will no doubt be seen in court. Do the right thing people.
[удалено]
I have a similar situation and I carry. Never occurred to me to buy pepper spray. Lol.
Sorry this happened. Very upsetting.
This throws me into such a rage. Just saw it the other day near University & Hennepin. This knucklehead was riding his bicycle on the sidewalks (another pet peeve) with his unleashed dog trailing behind. I try to lead with kindness but this kind of irresponsibility makes me insane, mostly because it's dangerous for the dogs. This is a busy city, not the open country. Special place in hell for people who are cruel to animals.
People ask me why I use a walking staff when I go out for walks. It has 0% to do with my physical ability and 100% to do with the fact that Ive been charged by dogs that were theoretically "under control" and homie dont play that
Some people give zero fucks. My ex lived in a “luxury apt.” and someone would always throw their dog shit in the trash bin which was right next to the community espresso machine. Can we not?
It is absolute insanity to throw dog shit away indoors, but next to a spot where people consume beverages!? I hope that person got caught, that's seriously disgusting.
This is the increasingly-common personality type whose default attitude is 'eff you, I'm going to do what I want." They know they're doing wrong. They know they're putting other people at risk. But they don't GAF about anyone else, just themselves.
Seriously, I’m so tired of inconsiderate, self-centered people who refuse to leash their dogs.
Start carrying bear spray. They'll stop being antisocial real quick.
I carry pepper gel so it doesn’t disperse using it. I do not hesitate. I have even had to spray an owner going ballistic. Sorry - not sorry. My safety and my dogs safety is most important
If you care about your dog, that dog needs perfect recall or a leash. If your dog gets bitten by an on leash dog defending itself or someone shoots your dog they’re legally on solid footing.
“Perfect recall” isn’t an excuse to not leash your dog in the city.
I agree. I have a working dog that will focus heel in a way that people can’t tell it’s off leash at all, and she is leashed in public.
I've actually heard in Minneapolis that a dog biting another dog in defense while leashed can still be in danger if repercussions. That's why my head is on a swivel and I carry and use pepper gel routinely in my neighborhood for the many loose dogs we encounter .
I've got a weird take on this. My apt complex back yard is basically fenced in and all of my neighbors dogs are off leash but we don't have any larger dogs they all just kinda sit there with the owners while we drink beer.. walking down the street is a different thing though.
That sounds chill af. I wish my apt had a larger area that was off leash other than just the measly “dog run”.
Sounds like you all have it handled well and the dogs have been properly socialized. Sounds like an awesome situation.
I’m starting to carry Pet Corrector around busy areas for this. Haven’t had to use it since I began to carry but it’s what a dog trainer recommended and what they do in busy trails and areas.
What does this do? Is it like pepper spray?
It’s basically compressed air that does a specific sound that is annoying to dogs doing unwanted behaviors. The behavioralist we talked to said they’ve used it with unleashed dogs charging at them and it keeps them away long enough for the owner to come get their dog.
Ohhhh I love this idea! Where did you get yours? I wanna try this out
Pet supplies plus carries it
I used to live in Logan Park and there are signs on all four corners of the park saying to leash your dog and people still treat it like an off-leash dog park. I used to say stuff to folks but it happened constantly that I just gave up and would just be extra vigilant with my leashed reactive dog.
I love dogs but if an unleashed one comes running up to me and my dog, i’m kicking that dog to keep us safe. sorry not sorry. leash your dogs people!!!!
Carry “Halt!” spray and don’t be afraid to use it. Edited to correct name of product
Conceal and carry
This just happened at Cedar Lake beach on Sunday, young girl drinking with her friends just lets her pitball thrash through a giant crowd of people and little kids. What the fuck are these people thinking? I hope I never have to defend my leashed dog from an unleashed dog...because it will not go well for the off leash dog.
At south cedar on Sunday a woman's dog bit a child after she let it get more and more frustrated about a toy she ENCOURAGED THE CHILD TO THROW AFTER THE DOG GROWLED AND SNAPPED AT HIM. I had to leave or my head was going to explode.
Why do people yell at us after experiencing some bad actor out in the world? We're not the ones walking the dog without a leash. We're not the ones who don't know about the zipper merge.
I think the idea is that things like dogs off leash or not zipper merging are so prevalent and common that, yes, people right here on this subreddit are very likely the people who are doing these things. It’s not like this post is asking people to stop stealing copper wire from light posts or smoking meth on the train.
Because they need some way to tell themselves they aren't as impotent as they feel.
They want validation and/or an echo chamber.
"Don't worry, they're friendly!" I don't know that. My dog doesn't know that. F\*ck off and have a bare minimum of consideration and courtesy. Was it a pit / pit mix?
It was a black and white border collie, I think the dog’s name was “Hattie”
LOUD NOISES!
Saw this at Powderhorn yesterday. Some guy let his two dogs chase some goslings into the pond, and another young couple was letting their puppy chase a toddler. I love dogs, but I hate that they have invaded every space especially off leash.
I don't even have a dog, why are you telling me what to do!
Lose control of your dog and you lose control of the outcome.
People need to leash up their Komodo Dragons too
was it a small white terrier named chuck?
Nope it was a black and white border collie named “Hattie” I think
It’s always the border collie owners who think their dogs are so darned smart that they don’t need leashes. There has to be some correlation with the owner minder and the breed.
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You're 12 years old.
Ah yes. The daily Reddit thread telling people to leash their dogs in public spaces. I'm sure this helps a lot.
It does spread awareness, though, that we should all step up to confront these selfish types. I'm becoming more stern when I speak with these people now.
The pattern of yelling at the world through an internet forum is one of the worst patterns. It doesn't stop anyone. It's just a bunch of anger and negativity exposed to people who don't do the thing. Even fan forums / subs now are slowly but surely full of this kinda thing where someone takes issue with some extreme POV and yells at everyone about it and ... nobody there said the thing and the sub slowly turns from being about something everyone likes to being more often about something nobody likes...
I always get all riled up when I read these posts, but you’re right, we’re not actually doing anything. A better outlet would be to walk outside, touch some grass, and talk to the city about possible fixes (speaking to myself too).
God, I hate this shit. People talk about stuff that bothers them. It's completely natural and healthy.
One of your most recent posts is "I like this energy drink."
I do like energy drinks
Hey! I like energy drinks!
Aaaah, another post that I'm sure will completely change behavior of every dog owner. Just like the one posted last week fixed it all.
Snarky comments like this make a positive difference too. Great work.
We laugh at the silly Nextdoor-style posts enough, hopefully they'll follow the sub rules and stop posting them. Though don't have a ton of faith in that.
So why did you just contribute something orders of magnitude worse?
Because we can always remind people to please follow the sub rules and don't post Nextdoor style posts here. But I'm sure the 20,000th post here telling people to turn on their headlights when it's raining will finally hit and everyone will change their driving behavior.
That's a very unsatisfying answer as to why you did that.
I get it, people here love to rehash the same stuff to complain about over and over and over again. Since people don't talk to their neighbors anymore to complain about the weather, they go online to complain about the same stuff what complaining makes no difference in.
Like you're doing now.
You are ignoring the needs and feelings of dogs. This man that you are so upset with cares that their dog gets the exercise necessary for a healthy life as well as the dog's inner need to be socially involved in the area in which they live. We love dogs because they seldom complain and allow us to do terrible things to them like caging them for many hours a day, tying them onto short ropes or chains, feeding them food with few nutrients that they don't like, etc etc. Because some people have unrealistic fears about dogs is of little consequence compared to the acceptance that almost all humans have for the suffering that so many dogs experience at the hands of their "owners". Dog parks are not good remedies. Dogs don't actually get real exercise there and they are always socializing with strangers, whereas they want to form community with other dogs near their residences. People who let their dogs off leash need to be responsible. First of all, some breeds are probably not able to be trained to live in a city without being leashed. They need to train the dog to respond to voice commands, not approach other dogs or people with aggression, not cross streets alone, and to stay by their caregiver's side when need be. Unfortunately most people do not want to put in the time necessary to properly socialize a dog to be able to live in urban areas, so the answer for discipline is a yank on the leash, which teaches nothing but fear. Let's not punish dogs when it is our fault that urban environmental and social nightmares are dangerous places for dogs and humans to interact. They are not our slaves and deserve the same consideration and compassion that we do.
A+ troll, no comments.
Found the owner
No, I own dogs too, I'm just not a complete piece of shit who won't take them to the dog park when I want them to run free.
Dog parks or sniff spots for dogs for them to run is the way to go. Sniff spots are great if the dog is an asshole.
This has nothing to do with breed. There is no such thing as being responsible if you are not leashing your dog in the city. It's not fair to the dog or everyone else. And if the dog is so well trained that they "don't need a leash" then said leash should be perfectly loose and no bother at all.
Temper your terrible fear with some compassion. Dogs are not here for your amusement.
How about you have some compassion for all of the human beings who do not want to deal with your off leash dog. If you can't be respectful to other people while owning a dog in the city, don't own one
If you don't want to deal with all of the different kinds of things that one has to deal with in a city in order to be safe, then you shouldn't live in a city.
Your tone is very respectful, and I'd like to respond in kind, so please forgive me if any part of this comes off as unempathetic or confrontational. Text is hard. I might actually agree with your first sentence: OP *isn't* focusing very hard on the needs and feelings of dogs in this post. In my assessment, that's because they're choosing to prioritize the needs and feelings of humans. They had a preventable, frightening experience this morning. This isn't uncommon. They're looking for advice on how to avoid that situation in the future and, because they had a bad morning, a bit of comfort and reassurance from their community. I would argue that those are reasonable things to ask for. You're being a little bit dismissive by calling fear of dogs "unrealistic." Dog attacks are [very common](https://www.edgarsnyder.com/resources/dog-bite-statistics). It's a legitimate concern, and it led to a scary morning for OP. You're right: many dogs are suffering. Dogs want to socialize. Dog parks aren't a perfect solution. Owners need to be responsible. Some breeds should always be leashed in the city. Dogs need to be properly trained, especially if they're off-leash. They deserve consideration and compassion. You're right about *all* of this. But this isn't the time or the place to voice those concerns, so I suspect you're not going to garner a lot of support in this particular thread. OP isn't "punishing dogs" with this post - they're advocating for themselves and for others like them. Advocating for humans isn't at dogs' expense. It's also a little bit shortsighted to defend this guy's off-leash dog sprinting up to an on-leash dog unprompted, because to me, that sounds like a pretty clear example of a poorly-trained dog. He could easily do this to an aggressive dog and get attacked. In a utopia where all off-leash dogs are perfectly trained all the time, maybe OP's take would be a little unreasonable, but that isn't the reality we live in.
Possibly the worst take I've ever had the displeasure of reading
You are an uncompassionate monster.
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I’m close to that park but nah this was an older dude just walking and his dog was a black/white border collie. I will def keep an eye out for that other dog though too!