Mar 3, 2019 2 min read

Dogs are the new “in” thing. We have abundant dog parks and great places to take them to run and walk. Unfortunately, some people feel that their dogs should not be on a leash. I have encountered this many times recently. I’ve heard all of the excuses: “They’re great with other dogs!” “They always come back on recall!” “They’ve never wondered off or chased!”

The reality is dogs are animals given to instinct. When a loose dog is running toward my three leashed ones, my dogs perceive it as a threat. I recently had an issue with a woman with not one, but two unleashed pit bulls in Washington Park. They ran toward us and exhibited aggressive body language toward my dogs. It was all I could do to hold back my Rhodesian ridgeback-mix. The reality is this shouldn’t be happening in the first place. I asked her why she felt that she was exempt from the state leash law but received no response.

Please keep your dogs on a leash unless you’re in a specified no-leash area. It is a danger to responsible owners, to the elderly and children as well as to the unleashed dogs themselves.

Barbara J. Ordean

Canonsburg