Unpopular opinion: keep your dogs on a leash

This post brought to you by Running and Walking at the Park Gang. 

It should be a common, well-known fact that dogs should only be allowed off-leash at dog parks, or in private residences. This is in accordance with leash laws. Public parks are PEOPLE parks, not dog parks. Of course you can bring you dog to a regular park, but it NEEDS to be kept on a leash. Check this out for the city of Orem: https://orem.org/animal-control/

It is worse running in the neighborhood: not only will you still encounter off-leash dogs, but they will also be territorial. The only place to avoid this is on bike paths. 

I do 80% or so of my running on grass, due to my knees, while the other 20% or so is fine on pavement (asphalt only, no concrete). So I have to run at the park. Besides, I like visiting cool parks, and I have no problem seeing leashed dogs. 

But when your dog is running off leash in the middle of the park — which is against the leash laws in our area — it screws up my entire workout. This happens at least once every few weeks, if not every week. I have to completely change my route, or stick to a remote corner of the park, which sucks. So many times I have been chased, cornered, growled at, and even bitten for simply trying to do a workout, because people can’t be bothered to leash their dogs. When I have work in 90 minutes, I want to do my run, get home, get breakfast, and shower. I don’t want to spend my morning wondering if I should get a rabies shot, or having to fight off a dog using my hat and sunglasses while the owner is panicking because their sweet little dog has never done something so awful before. Or, they’re mad at ME for daring to go running in a park that is, you know, not meant for dogs. 

Please keep your dogs on-leash at the park. I want to like dogs. I really do. I live in a pet-friendly apartment complex, because after I get to know a dog it’s fine. And there are some dogs that I do like, mostly dogs that I know well, belonging to friends/family/neighbors. My last neighbors had a Samoyed who I absolutely loved. But dogs like to chase moving things, like runners, and after they chase, they often bite. When I see your dog, I have no idea if he’s a giant teddy bear, or if he’s going to attack me. Since the latter is what I have to assume for my own safety, I would like to scream into the uncaring void: Unless you’re at a DOG PARK, keep your pet on a leash!!!!

A few dog owners who agree with me:

https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/why-dogs-should-be-on-leash-in-public-areas

https://thebark.com/content/open-letter-people-who-walk-their-dog-without-leash

https://www.rescuepit.org/why-your-off-leash-dog-is-ruining-my-life/

And this person said it better than I could:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-runners-hate-dogs_b_212960

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