I’m not a dog owner. And perhaps I will get critisized for what I’m about to say by others.
The law says that dog owners need to keep their dogs leashed at all times. This is the law. A very good law in my mind.
A law, though, that is often broken everyday, again and again.
So perhaps I’m not a dog owner but I am a parent. This past Saturday, I was playing with my toddler at the playground and all of the sudden, a german shepperd that had seemed calm and poised decided to make a mad dash at my daughter, barking like crazy at her.
I was making my way to stand infront of her. Natural instinct of most parents. We put our lives in danger to protect our own children - it’s in our genes. Just then, fortunately, the owners came for the dog and calmed it down. They were very apologetic and I did sense true sincerity in their voice.
But what kind of an apology would it have been if their dog did attack my daughter? Who only stood almost as tall as the dog itself when it was all on fours?
I was upset. Not just at that one incident, though that alone gave me grey hairs instantly, but at the fact that I see this all the time.
Dogs… unleashed. And this time, at a playground full of children.
This family explained that their dog is usually very friendly.
My argument is that it is still an animal. I know family dogs are seen as a family member and I will not argue that. I am an animal lover myself. Yet I would never assume that an animal is always predictable to us mere humans. Put in a different setting, they could react differently. This instance proved exactly that. My toddler wasn’t even aware of the dog’s presence until it was right up to her. So no provoking on her part what-so-ever…
So please… if you own a dog, please keep it on a leash when in public.