It’s a good thing there wasn’t a sheep loose in the lane as well.
One thing I learned when walking our Golden Retriever (large male) (SK) was that if I greeted another person well before we reached them and their dog, our dog treated the other person and dog as non-threatening, and just sniffed (and sometimes other doggy things we won’t get into) without being aggressive. But if I said nothing, he decided the others were inherently enemies and should be warned to stay away, via various combinations of barking, lunging and general unpleasantness. The greeting exchange between the humans calmed the dogs down considerably.
I think there is something to take from this for people who don’t have a dog, or those who don’t like dogs, when they are approached by a person with a dog. Greet the person, have a “standard morning walk QSO” enquiring after the other person’s health and commenting about the weather. It seems to calm the dog down. Maybe this is of use to you, Jimmy @m0hgy.
Dog owners need to be responsible with their dogs. Some people love dogs others have a morbid fear of them. You can never know how a dog will react with someone new. Children especially often have no fear and go up and pat any dog they see - this can result in the dog being shocked and snapping at the child. A memory that can then stay with that child for the rest of their life, or at least until they perhaps get their own dog. Dogs can also have traumatic experiences, that they never forget and this makes them nervous. Our dog Bonnie came from a dog pound in Romania where we think she was mistreated. For her first 3 years with us, she was so nervous and afraid. It took that long for her to get her self confidence back. Now she’s fine with humans but does not approach them unless greeted by them but I am still careful and have her on the lead when there are new people or dogs to “meet and greet”. Bonnie is only ever off the lead when we are well away from the roads, on field tracks (we don’t have sheep in the fields here) and stops or returns to me when commanded to do so, so that I can put her lead on.
Another issue I see with those long elastic leads is that as well those dogs running up and barking at people, it is still possible for them to chase sheep which isn’t good either. It seems these dog owners that either use long elastic leads or walk their dog without a lead are happy for their to run up and bark at people who don’t like dogs and are also happy for their dogs to chase sheep.
They will all claim the opposite Jimmy. But I agree with you - from what I have seen, especially in recent months, these dog owners with very long leads are tacitly giving their dogs the go-ahead to do exactly what they want, under the pretence/illusion that they are under control.
It doesn’t matter whether I was there or not, Tom. Jimmy made a general statement that dogs on long leads were technically loose. That statement might be correct in some individual cases but I pointed out that it is not a general truth. My dog (or dogs as it applies to my last dog, too) is always under control and as a responsible owner I always reel her in when meeting other people - or dogs! My experience is that most dog owners are equally careful. Of course, there are dog owner lids, too, just like the radio nuisances we know and love - to hate!
In one thing I am in complete agreement, a 30-foot lead is far too long. I don’t know where they get them, my local pet store only stocks five and seven metre extendables and IMO 7 metres is too long to keep a dog out of mischief. Walking in the country means having to untangle my dog from time to time with 5 metres, ten metres would be ridiculous!
I can only go from my my recent experience Brian, and ALL dogs I’ve encountered on long leads round here the past few months have not been under control, and therefore I concur with Jimmy’s “technically loose”.
I appreciate that you say you reel that long lead in ahead of meeting people Brian. So many don’t - which begs the question “what’s the point?”. And this experience is what informs my opinion that if a dog needs to be on a lead, it should be a short leash. Either that, or not on a lead at all, but with exemplary obedience and manners, like the aforementioned Fergus, or Barry @GM4TOE’s old dog Tommy.
As I say, fair enough if you always reel it in as soon as other walkers are spotted. That is logical. The fact that so many don’t is equally illogical!
The point is twofold, Tom. Firstly the bye-laws of Birmingham require dogs to be on leads at all times in public. Secondly my dog Ellie is a foxhound, she follows her nose and loves to burrow under thick undergrowth - particularly gorse! Once I let her off the lead in a place like, for instance, most of the summit of Kit Hill she would vanish under the gorse, and a dog that you can’t see is no longer under control. An extending lead allows a dog to behave like a dog and investigate anything that takes its interest while remaining in communication with and under the control of its master, and when necessary the ratchet can be locked as a short lead. The problem is not dogs, it is the minority of irresponsible owners.
Exactly. My question “What’s the point?” which you quoted, was clearly referring to the “so many (who) don’t” - which I presume will be “irresponsible owners” you mention.
Retracting dog leads - Some dogs are unsuitable to be on long leads, for several reasons, although we use one with our dog most of the time. Long leads can lead to nesting birds being disturbed, that is one reason in certain situations in the nesting season.
Retracting leads are banned in our walking club - most leaders allow dogs on walks but long leads are banned due to trip risk.
Also as any Magistrate will tell you, when making a conditional destruction order to have a dog destroyed after an owner has been taken to court for being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. One of the conditions of the conditional destruction order often states that the dog must be kept under control at all times on a short lead of no more than 2 metres in length. Speaks for itself - retracting leads in certain situations with some dogs are not appropriate.
Not only do too many dog owners simply not grasp the relative lack of enthusiasm of others like me, plenty of them simply couldn’t care less about ANY other people or habitat on the hills. Sick of it.
After that, I have to say the experience was positive. No less than 4 dog owners encountered, each with 1, 2 or 3 dogs. None on leads - until they spotted me from about 100 feet away, at which point each one of the owners, without fail, summoned their dogs and put them on short leads. Top marks!
Then a fifth with two dogs not on leads - but both with the kind of behaviour previously described for Fergus and Tommy - so no problem. Long may this continue!!!
Three bags sitting neatly on top of a rock as I walked down to the beach. Several people with dogs were on the beach. After walking along the beach for a few hundred metres, I turned and watched as they left… and yes, they picked up their bags! There are some responsbile people in the world!
This is interesting. When I descended Gun, both the bags had been removed. I’d kinda rather they hadn’t been left to be collected later personally, but at least they were not left on the hill. Or possibly one of the people took it upon themselves to be public-spirited and remove them even though they were not the culprit.
Anyway, that’s enough about dog owners. Let’s get back onto cyclists…
The owners should have stuck a 10p coin in said item and then buried the combination in the sand. That way they can dispense with carrying the unpleasant items with them and get even with the metal detectorists who are ransacking our archaeological heritage.
