When dogs and dog owners are not good neighbors, that is when the complaints come rolling in.
Too many times I have heard of complaints about official dog parks.. why? Because owners don't clean after their dogs, or they bring unruly dogs they can't control to the park.
If these are problems with official dog parks, they are definitely going to be a problem with unofficial dog parks.
I can sympathize with wanting to work off the excess energy that some dogs have and certainly off leash time to run and stretch is a good way, but if you don't have a place to run your dog, teach them to run next to a bike.
One trick that I have learned biking my dogs is the dual leashing them.
I attach to the flat collar one leash. This leash is tied to under the bike seat and your weight acts as a stabilizer. You want to tie this leash to that the dogs nose is BEHIND the leading edge of the front wheel. This keeps the dog from going in front of you. I always make sure this leash lays over my leg.
The next leash is attached to a choker that goes above the flat collar and high up on the neck, behind the ears. You hold this leash and it controls the dog movement away from you.
With the dog not able to go in front, and not able to run off to the side, they are under control, and learn to watch the direction of the wheel so they don't get run over.
I have had many miles of enjoyment running my dogs like this. Mind you, I am talking about bigger dogs, 30-40 plus lbs, not toys.
We have to innovate with our dogs sometimes, to stay legal. If there is no place to let my dogs off leash, (no matter how well behaved they may be, and no matter how well I clean after them), I do what I must to make sure my dogs have the chance to let loose and stretch their bodies. |