To Hershey's Dog-Mom

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

If you're taking your adorable chocolate lab out for a stroll on the bike-path on a lovely Sunday afternoon, please protect your dog and other people using the path and keep him on a leash.

I witnessed an almost-accident at close range as the dog ambled from one side of the path to another, forcing a bicyclist to slam on his brakes and stop hard to avoid hitting him.

He doesn't know any better, he's just a dog, doing what dogs do. You, on the other hand, should.

Comments

[dancingdeer.livejournal.com]

Starting with a disclaimer that we never take our dog on any bike path at all because he's far too easily overstimulated, we do use two different brands of rectractable leashes for our chocolate lab when we walk him (on the sidewalk; not in Somerville). First off, for an 85 lb dog who *does* pull a lot, they've been holding up just fine, and second, we *do* have control over him - when it's all quiet, we let him ramble around at between 6-8 feet (8 is legal where we live), between near-street grass and lawn, and back and forth on the sidewalk. When we sense a truck coming, or see any other people or dogs or, pretty much anything, we pull him in closer. We have a small quiet dead end street near our house where we can let the leash extend all the way and let him get some more intense exercise and not worry about him running into a busier street. Also, we can let it extend while we're in the park near our house (where he's routinely attacked or just approached by lots of dogs illegally off-leash, by the way). And not all the cords are sharp by any means - the brand I use definitely isn't.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

all i'm saying is that i've gone through no less than three different types on a 16 pound dog - they have all broken, tangled, not worked when i needed them to, etc. the wider belt ones pose less of a hazard of cutting but it is still there and i've seen it happen. i'm not saying my experience is everyone's, certainly, but yeah. i just personally prefer wrapping a leash around my hand and letting it out more or letting my dogs off leash when it's safe that way.

[dancingdeer.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's an impressively bad set of data points. I wonder if they make the leashes sturdier for the larger dogs.
I like the way my dog can help pull me up one of the hills in our neighborhood. I hate hills. :)

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

yeah you can see why i gave up lol!

glad you have had better luck, i think most manufacturers might indeed underestimate the strength of a small dog. anyway, after getting a second dog i would have had to have switched anyway since my dogs are really good at the whole tangling me thing x___x

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

8 is legal where we live

If you're in arlington, no, it's not:

shall restrain such dog by a chain or leash not exceeding six feet in length.
http://www.arlingtonma.gov/Public_Documents/ArlingtonMA_TownBylaws/title8?textPage=1