An Open Letter to Off Leash Dog Hikers

Hello Off Leash Dog Person,

I see that, like myself and my dogs, you and your canine companion enjoy getting out on the trail to get some fresh air and exercise. There's nothing quite like hiking with your dogs, is there? I am so grateful to my dogs for motivating me to get outside more often.

Your dog seems really friendly, it looks like you've built a great relationship and it's wonderful to see that trust between dog and handler that allows you to feel confident letting your buddy roam at her own pace. But I hope you have really, really good voice control and recall. And I hope you will be courteous enough to put your dog on a leash when you see me, or anyone else with on-leash dogs, headed your way.

You see, I don't have that chill, easy going dog. My dog is not okay with being approached by an off-leash dog, and we are working really hard to be confident going past on-leash dogs. If you get too close without leashing up, I may call out, "My dog's not friendly!" What I'd like to say is, "My dog didn't have a great start in life. He's very friendly and he loves the dogs and people he's built a relationship with, but he's worried about strange dogs and strange people entering his space. If your dog rushes us, he may flip out - bark, growl, lunge. It's a defense mechanism we are trying to unlearn, but we can't do that if we can't keep our distance." But I don't have time to say all that. So I have to tell you that my dog is unfriendly while you glare at me and begrudgingly grab your dog. Sometimes, instead of dealing with all this, I'll just tromp off-trail, through knee high grass, onto precarious hillsides, to try and get space. Please don't make me do those things.

Your dog may be the friendliest dog in the world, but has he ever been snarled at before? This wouldn't be the first time that an off leash dog's friendly approach quickly turned into a rather one sided fight when my dog reacts by growling or barking. The friendly dog doesn't always take so kindly to this response, and the resulting ruckus can result in injury to your dog, or as more often been the case, injury to me and my dog.

There's a reason we are on a leash-only trail, not hanging out at the off-leash dog park. This trail is for everyone, and it's not just my dog that may not want to meet yours. The dog you see up ahead may be a shy puppy, still being carefully socialized, and an exuberant greeting by an off leash dog may be really overwhelming for that little guy! He could be an old dog with bad vision, or hearing, or sensitive hips that make him wary of greeting strange dogs. It could be a bouncy, exuberant teenage dog, who's owner is trying to teach her that not every dog she sees is a friend for her to play with. Not to mention, dog or no dog, some people don't want to be approached, either. It's unfair for someone who has a scary history with dogs, or a family with small children, to feel unsafe on the trail because you can't be bothered to leash your dog when you see others approaching.

So please, enjoy your hike. If you must let your dog off leash, do so when you are certain  you can recall him, even from a snarling, barking dog, even from a bouncy playful puppy, even from a squirrel or a turkey or a deer. And when you see others coming, be courteous, and leash up.

Sincerely,


Reactive Dog Person