# Vicious Dogs might escape leashes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dogs-might-escape-leashes/680323>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [February 2, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dogs-might-escape-leashes/680323 "2014-02-02T00:16:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 127

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**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicious-dogs-might-escape-leashes/680323/127 "2014-02-03T03:13:57Z")

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> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#):
>
> You have just demonstrated what is wrong with dog owners - it is ONLY the dog owner’s responsibility to not let their dog affect anyone else negatively. I shouldn’t need to know _anything_ about dog behaviours, because responsible dog owners should never let their dog get so out of control in public that it gets close enough to me for it to matter. If your dog is on a leash, it should be fully under control. If your dog is off leash, it should be fully under control, or it should not be allowed off leash.
> 
> [Doing a little research, I found this story about off-leash dogs wreaking havoc in San Francisco.](http://wildequity.org/entries/3240) My neighbourhood has a problem with dog owners, and apparently we aren’t alone. Some of the attitudes in this thread are the kinds of attitudes that are making problems, where dog owners have somehow decided to abdicate taking full responsibility for their own dogs.
> 
> The more I think about it, it’s kind of a testament to how good dogs are that there aren’t more people injured by dogs every day in North America, with how lousy their owners are behaving.
> 
> **Helena** , I carry dog pepper spray with me whenever I go walking, and I had a dog owner threaten me with physical violence if I sprayed his dog that kept running at me last week. The pitbull-type dog was off-leash and ignoring his owner’s commands in an on-leash area.

I think that if you ( a generic you) are going to come in close proximity to something frequently in life that you are concerned about, it would behoove you to learn something about it. If you live in an area where lots of people have dogs, or you walk in a park that has play areas for dogs than it’s to your own benefit to be able to spot problems before they happen, and not cause problems inadvertently yourself.

We research diets, we research car safety and medicines. We keep tabs on sex offenders and learn the signs of a potential abuser in a mate. Why not do a little study on dogs behavior and language and give ourselves some peace of mind?

And no I’m NOT saying that the dog owner isn’t at fault, they are. But as citizens of a crowded world full of asshats, it’s helpful to have as much knowledge as possible.

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