Before I hop up on to my soapbox for Monday rant, I'll acknowledge last nights event. Yes, the Pat's lost. And it was a travesty. An upset was bound to happen, and I'm glad it happened to them, and not the Red Sox...
So, every weekend since we've had the little monster, the Tall Guy and I take Annie for at least one good hike on one of DC's trails, or for a good romp in a park. Annie's a great pup, while pulling on the leash, when put on a longer rope (we still hold onto) she rarely strays far. On every single one of these walks, we have at least one encounter with a person who is walking with their dog off leash. Now, I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure there is a leash law in both DC and Maryland... oh yeah, I looked and while its not worth linking to, they exist.
That said, I'm not even that worked up about laws being broken, as much as how obnoxious this seems to be to me.
Annie, while wonderful sometimes gets skittesh when approached by other dogs, especially when they are what we only can describe as "nosy" or in her business. If Annie decide one day, when one of these off leash dogs bounds over to her to check her out, to lash out, instead of sitting down and growling under her breath like she normally does, this would somehow be my fault, in the eyes of the off-leash-dog's owner, right? I mean, it shouldn't be, I'm doing the right thing, but lady running with your 150lb Golden Retriever, I really don't care to play with your dog with my dog's ball, just because your dog is nice (and 30ft away from where you're running).
Apparently, I'm not the only one talking about this, but it doesn't seem to slow the situation. Here's a piece from DCist in May. (Where the comments really emphasize my opinion)
Is this me just being picky? Or is it legitimate? Is it a DC thing, since so many of our running/walking trails feel like you're in the woods? Or is it a DC thing because it always feels like so many people here see themselves as self important? I'm just curious. I mean, if we were on a trail in the middle of nowhere, or on a farm, etc, I would love to let my dog run free, but in the parking lot of my apartment complex, all the time? (Yes, this does happen) That's just obnoxious.
It's not just a DC thing, it's the self important world we live in now. And I should point out that in MoCo if you pass a 'test' with your dog, they can be off leash. Not saying that everyone you run into has done so, just that it can happen.
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