Even the best-behaved dogs can still be triggered by certain sounds or situations, causing them to bolt, or worse, act out aggressively. Keeping your dog on a leash will help put your fellow community members at ease, especially those who may have had bad experiences with dogs in the past.
Having your off-leash dog run up to a leashed dog is unsafe and rude. You do not know if the leashed dog has fear aggression, leash aggression, is recovering from surgery, has been sick, is a rescue or a foster dog, is a new dog to the handler, or is a service dog.
An off-leash dog running up to a leashed dog can set off triggers in the leashed dog that interrupts their walk and sets back training and causes anxiety for the owner and for the leashed dog. When your unleashed dog runs up to a leashed dog the owner of the leashed dog not only has to protect their dog and themselves but is trying to protect your dog as well.
I would like to add that if your dog is running up to my dog I really don’t care if you say, “my dog is friendly!” You’re not nearby to react if something goes wrong, and, more to the point, you don’t know that my dog is friendly!
Unless a dog is superbly trained in recall (one call, not two or more), it shouldn’t be off leash.
The fine for an animal running “at large” in Calgary is $100. Dogs must be on a leash in all public spaces not designated as an off-leash area to protect other citizens and dogs.
Off-leash means not having contact with the leash so letting your dog drag a leash is still an off-leash dog.
Thank you,
A concerned neighbour
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