I just took Jake to the public park near our house. He absolutely LOVES this park and has a blast every time we go. Except for one thing that nearly always happens. Someone else has brought their dog to the park - off leash.

Park rules are for all dogs to be leashed. I totally get that it's way more fun for a dog to be off leash at the park. But there is a good reason for the leash rule.

Take the experience of my Jake as an example. Jake gets along with most other dogs he meets, especially if they are both off leash. He regularly goes to a doggy daycare to play-all-day with his buddies. But, Jake also has no self control around rabbits, birds, squirrels, etc. I can't let him go off leash where there are no fences to keep him contained. I fear I would never see him again, not because he wants to run away, but because he'd just chase one bird after another until he had no idea where he was.

This means that nearly every time we go to the park, Jake, while on leash, gets accosted by some other dog that is off leash and has temporarily run away from its owner. This puts Jake in a compromised position: the other dog is free to come close or run away as it wants, depending on whether it feels brave or uncertain. Jake is a trapped, sitting duck, attached to (a not-very-fast) me by a 6 foot leash. He basically has to take whatever the other dog dishes out. I might add - although I am focusing on Jake's experience here - I have felt like a sitting duck too. A few of the dogs that have approached us have scared me with their roughhousing. Even if the other dog is nice and just wants to play, I can sense Jake's stress at the situation. I see it in his body language.

So please, the next time you want to take your dog out to play off leash, go to the dog park rather than a public park. Jake will greet you with a waggy tail at the dog park!