Firstly Jenny, I cannot remember stating that if you do not own a car you should not have a dog!! But perhaps I just misread your post.

Alan, I think this debate will rage on for some time, but at the end of the day, it does not matter what we think. Laws are being passed as we speak and we must abide by them.

Of course this will not prevent all dog attacks and as someone said on an earlier thread, a lot of incidents happen within the home, or the owners property, but if it prevents just one accident, or attack and saves one dog from being mauled surely it cannot be wrong.

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Totally agree Nina human life comes first! All dogs should be on leads in public places at all times, people have the right to feel safe as lots of people are scared of dogs (even well behaved ones!!!!!)

Ok,Can those of you who think dogs should be onlead (full stop) in public parks & places,can you think of an attack by a dog out of control off lead during the last 12 months in these places?

I was just thinking that while I was out walking earlier.

I got it from this post nina, maybe I misunderstood the word transport in the second paragraph, i took it to mean a vehicle.

Easy mistake to make!

You mean the sentence where I state 'perhaps'!

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Its the word perhaps I misunderstood then, i took it as "maybe" "possibly" "a suggestion".
A ban on off lead dogs in public places would have little effect on me personally, apart from trips to the beach, I am in the lucky situation of owning and having access to other peoples land for training and exercising my dog, and the sport I compete in for the most part is on farmers land so is therefore private.

Lots of people are not this lucky. Competitive obedience, agility and flyball, three major dog sports in this country, often take place on public land and in parks, with the exception of heel on lead in obedience all work is undertaken off lead, it would mean an end to these sports that are enjoyed by young and old alike, and thousands of people all over the country.

I do agree that people are more important than dogs and must always take priority, but I don't think a blanket ban on off lead dogs is a way forward.

its not just about attacks its also how other people feel about dog and to stop people with no control over there dog letting them off the lead. i cant think of a dog attack that was off a lead in the last 12 months but that doesnt mean it hasnt happened as my memory is poo and if it was a small dog we are unlikely to have heard about it doesnt make great news like rottwieller attacks

When a family friend got a little terrier puppy a couple of yrs ago, she took her to a dog friendly park and had her on a long lead, playing games. Another dog, a Staffy I believe, came bounding across and grabbed the puppy in it's mouth, flung her up in the air and she fell to ground and died. My friend was devastated and the other dog owner, I'm not sure what they said or did about it but I think he came across and apologised and look my friend home in his car. That reason alone makes me worry when being around dogs without their lead on and I'm not one to be scared of dogs. Even if you know you're dog wouldn't start anything, someone else's might...

There is in fact, a little Jack Russell terrier that lives near me and when walking my dog, I fear that dog is being walked at the same time. It is terrible on the lead and the other night I was walking my dog across a road and I saw them walking the JR behind me. I didn't realise a dog could make so much noise on a lead! It was snorting and heaving by the way it was pulling and once on the track (where I walk my dog) it is let off the lead. Now, three times I've walked along that track and seen the dog fly up the track (which takes about 10 minutes to walk it!) and has almost come in contact with my dog. I've seen it run straight across the fields, down the ditches and the owners are no where to be seen and the dog doesn't even listen when its being called! It attacked my next door neighbours dog while he was out for his walk and scared my neighbour because it bolts across the field like lightning it's so fast!

I feel extremely nervous knowing that I would be shouted at for confronting this dog's owner but I want something to be done about it because I don't want to worry everytime I go out walking my dog. I don't know what to do, to tell them or not