What You Need to Know About: Off-Leash Dogs

I am writing this blog post today because of something very tragic that has happened to myself and my family. In August 2016 my fiance, our son, myself and Roxy were enjoying a Sunday together. We went to the old Walmart parking lot on Tyrone Blvd. to drive the RC car around and Roxy was having a blast running after it as fast as her little legs could take her! It was so funny because she looked like a little squirrel or ferret running across this huge parking lot!

After Roxy was exhausted and the RC car ran out of gas, we decided to visit a park right by there called Abercrombie Park on the corner of Park Street and Tyrone Blvd in St. Petersburg. One that I had been to twice before. This is not a dog park. This is a local park that has a path way to walk down and It opens up to a small cove where the beach is! It's really pretty! There's picnic benches to sit and hang out and we just thought it would be nice to go.

We were walking and saw a woman with two small dogs. Chihuahua mixes they looked like. She said there were a lot of dogs down at the end. And that her dog was a little iffy with other dogs so they walked back. I thought to myself, well why would that matter if they're on leashes? So we walked around this little hidden pathway that is cute and quaint and brings you to the outer border of where the beach is. Again, SUPER pretty and relaxing!

We came out and saw that there were multiple dogs like the woman had told us. But they were OFF LEASH. I noticed a dog was slowly coming up to us, but I thought nothing of it. They were all running around playing so I figured these dogs should be friendly and trained.

Well, this Weimeraner runs up to us and Roxy moves toward him somewhat to sniff and say "Hello". Well, this dog didn't want to say "Hello". He immediately grabbed Roxy by the back and began shaking her vigorously right in front of myself, my fiance, and my 2 year old son. I was completely stunned. I never experienced anything like this in my life. I just thought the dog was going to put her down.. But he didn't.. I started smacking him on his head and I felt so strange hitting someone else's dog.. The owners came up to us and yelled at the dog who then threw Roxy to the side and ran away. Roxy laid there and tried to get up.. But she couldn't. A woman came over and said the air was escaping her lungs, and did anyone have a needle so she could poke a hole in her. No one had anything. I thought because I didn't see any blood that she was just extremely traumatized and she needed to just catch her breathe, but she soon become really bloated looking. We needed to get her to the Vet ASAP. I took down the woman's phone number who was watching this dog. The owner was away in Italy and a lady was watching her for a month. I realized it was Sunday, and the only vet that is open is all the way across town- a 25 minute drive. So we walked toward the car and started taking pictures. Pictures of Roxy, Pictures of the "DOGS SHOULD BE ON LEASH AT ALL TIMES" sign, and pictures of the license plates of the cars that were there.

We got in the car and headed towards the vet. Noahs Place Animal Hospital.. About 2 minutes later I felt Roxy's breathing slow down in my arms. And I felt her spirit lift upwards toward Heaven. Her body lay lifeless in my arms.

I, of course, immediately break down. I have never seen anything die before. I didn't even go to my grandmother's funeral. Let alone have something like this happen to me or my pets. We got to the Vet and they took her. They examined her and did say that the puncture was to the lungs, and that the air was escaping into the body and at that point there is nothing anyone could have done. I said my good byes in the back room. I massaged her ear and told her I was so, so sorry for going to the park with her that day. She was just having so much fun chasing after the RC car.. I couldn't believe that in an instant life could be taken away. So fast, and in a complete and utter accident. An accident, however, that could have been prevented.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OFF-LEASH DOGS:

This leads me into the educational aspect of this blog, which is, what to do when there are off leash dogs around you whether it be in an instance such as this where it is prohibited, or at a dog park where there are many off leash dogs.

IF IT IS PROHIBITED:

1. Please, for everyone's safety, do not let your dog off leash in this area. This person's dog was 14 years old and never showed aggression to any dog in its life. Also, do not assume that other dogs here will be "fine". Do not say to yourself "well everyone here has their dogs off leash, so I will". You do not want to be the person on the other side of the fence who has to be held responsible for something their dog does while off leash. And you also do not want to be like me and Roxy, even though she was on a leash. I unknowingly brought her into a lion's den.

IF IT IS ALLOWED/FENCED IN DOG PARKS:

1. Be Superb in Training. If your dog does not have excellent manners in public including a great long distance recall with distractions, do not let your dog off leash. It shouldn't matter if there is a steak on the other side of the fence with 5 squirrels running around it. If you ask your dog to "come" and he doesn't immediately turn around and run towards you, he does not belong off leash.

2. Know Canine Body Language. You need to know the signs of a scared dog, a reactive dog, an aggressive dog. And it isn't just tail wagging. If you cannot understand what is going on at all times with everyone's dogs at once: Do not let your dog off leash. If your dog acts dominant towards other dogs, do not let him off leash or around other off leash dogs. You may see your dog's dominance as being hyper and wanting to play, but another dog may view that as a challenge and react accordingly. If your dog attempts to hump other dogs, remove him from the park. Now is not the time for a training session with a bunch of dogs you do not know and a bunch of dog owners who may or may not know what is happening or how to react themselves. (the following pictures below are examples of canine body language but should NOT be the only tool of studying that you do. I suggest extensive research through Youtube videos and such until you feel absolutely confident you will be able to tell what all dogs are thinking before you bring your dog off-leash somewhere).

4. Understand Dogs are not People: At the end of the day, understand that dogs are not like people. They do not need to interact with other dogs in order to live a happy, healthy life. In a pack of wolves the members of that pack would never go off to mingle with other wolves. You and your family are your dog’s pack. And as long as you give him the correct outlets of play, training, and love; he will never need to risk his life for a playmate. I see Dog Parks more and more as an act of well-meaning owners to let their dogs run around while they sit and relax. That isn’t how it’s supposed to be and ultimately, that is not what your dog wants. He wants to interact with YOU. He wants YOU to run after him. He wants to chase YOU. He wants YOU to throw the ball. YOU are his whole world. And he is yours. Remember that.

You will not be able to 100% avoid an accident, that is why they call them accidents. But you can set yourself and your dog up to succeed by not allowing any situations to occur. In hindsight, when that woman told me there were a lot of dogs at that park I should have turned around and walked away. I had a 3lb toy dog with me that I was responsible for. I didn't know who had their dogs there, if they were on leash or off leash, what their sizes were: NOTHING. I assumed they were on leash and Roxy paid the ultimate price.

Thank you. K9SavvyGirl

If you have any questions or a dog-related topic you'd like me to write about, please let me know. I am here to educate all dog owners on the good, the bad, and the ugly. Knowledge is Power. I hope this post has made you reconsider letting your dog off leash, or taking your dog somewhere there could be other dogs off leash at. Remember: You and you alone are responsible for not only your dog, but all the other dogs around you.

#education #advice #k9savvygirl #help #dog