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I posted this — mostly — because it’s something that a lot of dog owners — especially inexperienced ones — don’t fully understand. People (myself included) like to believe they’ve got a deep, magical, mystical bond with their dog and it’s so strong nothing could possibly go wrong if they unclip the leash. Even with a well-trained dog/owner team that’s not so. As a matter of professional and personal ethics, it pays to make sure people understand what’s involved: psychological and physical trauma to people and dogs, potentially euthanasia of dog. I also tell people that even if your dog is perfect off-leach, you unless you are in the middle of nowhere, you can’t be sure what’s coming just around the corner. Could be an aggressive off-leash dog. What will you do then???
On the other hand — different kettle of fish — where I live, I see people who don’t ever — because they don’t know how to — let their dog off-leash in woodsy places with few people and where most of the handlers are acquainted with each other. I feel sorry for the dogs and the people in these situations too.
