All Dogs Must Be On Leads, why is this sign so often ignored?

[Parksy]

The Star Letter in November's issue of Practical Caravan magazine (Caravan Chat page 10) outlines a cautionary tale from Mr Wayne Jones, the owner of a Cavalier King Charles spaniel which was with Mr Jones and on a lead, but which was set upon by the dog from the neighbouring caravan which was not on a lead.

The CKC spaniel had to undergo extensive vetinary treatment outside normal hours, and was kept for a couple of days by a specialist for treatment and monitoring, which has resulted in a possible bill of £1000.

The owner of the dog which was off it's lead and which attacked the spaniel is uninsured although he had offered to pay, and the saddest part of all is that despite the vetinary treatment the spaniel is now blind in it's left eye.
One can only hope that after such a nasty incident the injured spaniel recovers enough for his owners to continue caravanning and for the dog to enjoy it's life without being traumatised.

We are not dog owners ourselves, although I have kept dogs since I was a boy until I met my o/h, but no matter what site we visit and no matter where or when, in spite of there invariably being prominent notices which read: All Dogs Must Be On A Lead we always, without fail, see self styled 'responsible' dog owners strolling around the sites with at least one dog not on a lead of any kind.

Can't these people read? Do they think that the signage, and indeed the site rules, do not refer to them? Are they exempt from the rules or just plain stupid?

The strangest part is that, as often as not, the people who allow their dogs to wander about without leads often have more than one dog with them, so sometimes one or more of their dogs is on a lead but there always seems to be one belonging to them that isn't.

As they pass us my o/h, who has a phobia about dogs after being attacked as a child, either goes back inside our caravan or tries to get out of the way of these selfish idiots, who smile understandingly and say that the dog 'doesn't bite' and 'won't hurt us'.
Perhaps not, but by not following the rules these dog owners are curtailing the right of others, whether or not they are dog lovers, to enjoy their stay at the caravan site.
I bet the owner of the dog which blinded the neighbours dog never imagined that his dog would cause such harm but it did.
Rant over

, what do YOU think?

 

[FrintonMike]

Parksy, just read the article in the magazine
We travel all over the country showing our four small dogs and would not dream of not having them on a lead at all times.
It is annoying to be out and be approached by a dog not on a lead. We do not know how the dog or indeed how our dogs will react. Our dogs usually yap, (being small they yap rather than bark), out a warning to the other dog to stay away but this can be seen as a challenge by the other dog who may become aggresive.
I have lost count of the number of times the other dog owner has said "they just wanted to play". I do not know that as ANY dog can be aggresive
So please keep your dogs on a lead at all times

 

[graham_somersham]

Nearly as bad are the owners who have their dogs on retractable leads so that they can still run wherever they want to. C&CC regs state 2m max lead length but this gets ignored even by the HS managers. I like dogs but not everyone does and some people are scared stiff of them. Its all down to respect for others.

 

[kiaboy]

All Dogs Must Be On Leads, why is this sign so often ignored?

Simple answer to that is:
They don't see it applies to them

It's the same as the 5MPH signs, I was at Dockray meadows for just under 2 weeks, and even with sped humps most drivers considered it was not for them, It was not the young either, most were 60+.

 

[earlyriser]

ALL DOGS MUST BE ON LEADS
not enough fs in the sign

 

[otherclive]

All Dogs Must Be On Leads, why is this sign so often ignored?

Simple answer to that is:
They don't see it applies to them

It's the same as the 5MPH signs, I was at Dockray meadows for just under 2 weeks, and even with sped humps most drivers considered it was not for them, It was not the young either, most were 60+.

my sentiments exactly, but when at CC Brynich recently I could not help but notice that even the wardens drove their little quads well above 5 mph, which is a fast walking pace.

 

[mickk]

Hi Parksy
we totally agree with you on this subject, we do have a dog, always on a lead & it does realy anoy us when others come on sites & just let their dog loose, we have just been to a site in North Devon, & it seamed that a lot of people on site could not read the notice saying dogs Must be on a short lead, but even the site owner let his dog run all over the site leaving its mess about the site, the rules on any site should be for every one not just a few.

 

[Gybe]

Our pair are always kept on their leads outside the caravan door. In the awning they are hitched to their ground spikes or the caravan wheels or they would be off to play in a flash. Our dogs are really harmless but if you're scared of dogs we just wouldn't want anyone traumatised.
" All Dogs Must Be On Leads, why is this sign so often ignored?" Why do kids play where they are not supposed to be? Why do people arrive at sites before they should? Why are some caravanners so inconsiderate with the noise they make?
Are rules not just for others

as that's how it seems to go on many sites.

 

[mullsy1]

Personally,I would like all dogs muzzled.

 

[Gybe]

Personally, I would like a lot of caravanners and campers muzzled

That's not going to happen either

 

[trucker]

I was reading this subject with interest, my dogs are very often off their leads whilst out walking as are most along the cannal path in Tiverton but when were away in the caravan we respect the rules, It was a good subject till some one posts a thread just to wind others up.

So mullsy why should my dogs be muzzled?????????????

 

[Gagakev]

Unfortunatly when other dogs are around it should also apply to the dog walking allocated area's not just the site itself!!
My dog has been attacked 3 times in these area's and after the first time he is kept on an extendable lead and he still got attacked.
I cant print here what was said to the owners

I will let him off when there are no other dogs around and when walking to and from the dog exercise area the lead is fully wound in.

 

[Mel]

Interesting. In a campsite the dog stays on a lead (apart from the occaisional escape from the awning). On a campsite dog walk, if there is a sign; the dog stays on the lead. But at home I walk her at a local nature reserve. There I let her off the lead (as do other dog walkers) and allow her to enjoy playing with other loose dogs. I have always thought of it as an important part of her socialisation. We are working hard at not going to people and she is now very good at it (provided they ignore her). Maybe this is the wrong approach?
mel

 

[JonnyG]

I was reading this subject with interest, my dogs are very often off their leads whilst out walking as are most along the cannal path in Tiverton but when were away in the caravan we respect the rules, It was a good subject till some one posts a thread just to wind others up.

So mullsy why should my dogs be muzzled?????????????

why should dogs out in public not be muzzled unless its against their doggie rights! they are animals and some have the potential to be of danger to not only other dogs and animals but people. "Sorry" doesnt cut it for me when somebodies dog attacks another child or even grown up and such sayings as "its never done that before or it must have been privocted"! doesnt cut it for me either.
not sure if it would cut it for you if your child or grand child was attacked in the open by somebody elses dog, who,s owner had also took the stance of "why should i muzzle my dogs" prior to the attack.....
So how about you telling me why a dog should not be muzzled in public areas? you know for the protection of all our children ?

 

[Surfer]

We have all our dogs on a lead when away from a caravan, but have on a numebr of occasions witnessed peole letting their dogs run loose. As for muzzling dogs what a silly suggestion. If the dog is on a lead, why should it wear a muzzle? If it is on a lead why is a child approaching it?
A few years back we returned from the reception area to find two kids throwing their toys at our dogs to make them bark. The dogs were inside our awning minding their own business and could not be seen from the outside!

 

[Gybe]

My wife and I have had dogs for over 34 years, we've never seen a dog attempt to attack any adult or child anywhere. Our two current dogs are high energy from working stock, they have no interest in other people or children. If they ever managed an escape on a caravan site they would only race around playing with one another, they are more scared of other people and children. During my life I've had more horses and ponies trying to take a lump out of me than dogs and I've far more contact with dogs, should horses and ponies all be muzzled?
Our dogs go crazy if you come near their car and they bark wildly if anyone comes in our garden, but there's probably more chance of any of you or your children being savaged by a ninety year old granny in a wheelchair than our dogs. The dogs go crazy at our various postmen when they are in the front garden with my wife gardening, but they run for their lives as soon as the postie of the day gets anywhere near them or any other stranger come to that.

 

[JonnyG]

" As for muzzling dogs what a silly suggestion. If the dog is on a lead, why should it wear a muzzle? If it is on a lead why is a child approaching it? "
interesting responce might i ask what is so silly about it? might i also ask where exactly do you walk your dog,is it in a area where children are banned from? or is it in parks and on the street in which case do you expect children to walk on the road rather than approach them merely by having to walk in the same space? true something silly was said but in this case not by me!
"

 

[Parksy]

My original post was referring to a letter in Practical Caravan magazine which was all about a King Charles spaniel correctly on a lead on a caravan site which was left partially blind after an attack by a dog from a neighbouring caravan which was not on a lead.

Muzzles, adults or children being attacked etc were not mentioned in the magazine letter and my topic was to draw attention to the magazine letter and to highlight the fact that every time that I've been away in the caravan, whether on a C&CC site, a certified location or even a rally field there is always at least one dog owner who decided that the clearly stated and often signposted rules concerning dogs on leads apply to everybody else except themselves.

I'm not a dog hater, I like dogs but can't keep one now because my limited mobility nowadays wouldn't really be good for the dog.

My other half, as I mentioned, has a terrible (and some may say irrational) phobia about dogs because of a childhood dog attack. I spend a lot of time trying to convince her that dogs are normally nice friendly animals and the chances of her being bitten, much less attacked, are very remote indeed.
I do my best to show her that confident body language when around any dog gives the dog a clear understanding of the situation and it's place in the great scheme of things.
She doesn't dislike dogs as such, she quite likes smaller dogs and of course pups, but can't cope at all when dogs are allowed to roam freely on campsites. She will often elect to stay inside the caravan rather than be outdoors in that situation even if the sun is blazing down which, considering that the rule breaking dog owners are the ones at fault, is unfair.

When an unleashed dog is from a nearby caravan and I've politely asked the owners to put their dog on a lead my request has usually been brushed aside with 'he won't hurt you' or 'the dog has never bitten anybody' and I'm regarded as being slightly odd for even daring to suggest that the dog should be on a lead and not free to roam wherever it wants to.

I've gone on to explain that my o/h is nervous around unleashed dogs and we are regarded as though she is the one who needs to modify her behaviour, not the dog owner who has decided to blatantly ignore the campsite rules.
We both try to deal with the situation and not make too much fuss, me be reassuring my o/h and she by avoiding loose dogs, but some dog owners are really their own worst enemies.

 

[seth1]

This might sound harsh but i dont like seeing dogs on sites at all.I dont find cleaning up someone elses dog poo funny and its not fear on my children either to play in it.The last time we went away we had a kind man let his dog crap in front of my van and walk off.I had to clean that up too.I think were forgetting something here,children have no idea were boundarys are on a campsite.If a dog cant handle a child near it,it shoudnt be on site.

 

[Gybe]

" As for muzzling dogs what a silly suggestion. If the dog is on a lead, why should it wear a muzzle? If it is on a lead why is a child approaching it? "
interesting responce might i ask what is so silly about it? might i also ask where exactly do you walk your dog,is it in a area where children are banned from?
"

What's silly about muzzling. Try it yourself Jonny!
I wouldn't fancy walking around with a cage on my head and my mouth restricted whislt also being restricted from drinking! And my dogs would never ever be muzzled. It would be cruelty for most dogs.
We run/walk our dogs in open country whenever possible with few adults or children around. When they are in areas with children and adults our dogs stay well clear of them. An adult wouldn't get near our dogs and a child would have no hope of getting near them.

Seth, please don't label all dog owners as idiots. We avoid walking our dogs through caravan sites for a couple of reasons. One - we wouldn't want the residue of cleared up dogs mess around any pitch and two - we don't like the evil eye from some precious type non dog owners.
We've also seen and met some less caring dog owners and had a few annoying dog moments, but we've never once had our time on caravan sites spoilt by dogs! We can't say the same for the human inhabitants of caravans, someone elses dogs poo would bug me, but nowhere near as much numerous human traits,

 

[JonnyG]

" As for muzzling dogs what a silly suggestion. If the dog is on a lead, why should it wear a muzzle? If it is on a lead why is a child approaching it? "
interesting responce might i ask what is so silly about it? might i also ask where exactly do you walk your dog,is it in a area where children are banned from?
"

What's silly about muzzling. Try it yourself Jonny!
I wouldn't fancy walking around with a cage on my head and my mouth restricted whislt also being restricted from drinking! And my dogs would never ever be muzzled. It would be cruelty for most dogs.
We run/walk our dogs in open country whenever possible with few adults or children around. When they are in areas with children and adults our dogs stay well clear of them. An adult wouldn't get near our dogs and a child would have no hope of getting near them.

Seth, please don't label all dog owners as idiots. We avoid walking our dogs through caravan sites for a couple of reasons. One - we wouldn't want the residue of cleared up dogs mess around any pitch and two - we don't like the evil eye from some precious type non dog owners.
We've also seen and met some less caring dog owners and had a few annoying dog moments, but we've never once had our time on caravan sites spoilt by dogs! We can't say the same for the human inhabitants of caravans, someone elses dogs poo would bug me, but nowhere near as much numerous human traits,

and there lays the problem you are comparing humans to animals and whilst i am sure most dogs are well behaved and looked after
they are not humans even if some humans are more of an animal than most dogs,
so you responce is nonsense. firstly muzzling a dog is not reconized as being cruel and it is impossible to know for sure that your dogs would not come into contact with other humans or children once off lead,i talk from experience of letting a trained labrador and by that i mean trained as a blind dog for a human, that once off the lead when we were asked to look after it for a week it ran around our local park even through we repeatedly called it with the appripriate command. if that can happen to a highly trained dog it can happen to any dog and the most worrying thing i hear is owners like you coming up with all sorts of excuses why there dog is so different!
in fact what you call the evil eye is the weary eye, and indeed i too would be weary,i dont see why you should feel comfortable when many around you may not.
It is law that we have to wear seatbelts whilst driving even though the vast majoirty of us will never see the benifit of their use, i see a muzzle for dogs once out and about no differently most dogs will always be well behaved and adapt to being muzzled just as they adapt to being on a lead,hey maybe the lead is cruel too! but i put peoples safety and apprehention above that of the mere inconvenience muzzles would be to dogs and there owners....... clearly you dont..

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I know of a good reason why dogs should be muzzled - it stops them eating nasty things when they are let off the lead. I have a niece who has 3 dogs and they are let loose to run in fields, in which cows have recently been. Two of the dogs love eating fresh cow pats and then licking any human nearby

, including me if I'm out with them. Disgusting habit!!

 

[otherclive]

Our dogs are never off the lead when on site except if the dog walk area allows it. I would not object to muzzling them say on public transport, but fear that if UK bought in a widespread muzzling law it would be only obeyed by the responsible owners, as would the proposed microchip law. In UK we are quick to introduce laws and regulations but useless at enforcement. Eg mobile phones in cars, drink driving, dog mess in streets etc. For caravan sites enforcent should be easy as wardens could warn transgressors and blatant abuse would lead to a request to leave the site. One other reason I would be against compulsory muzzling on sites would be that the muzzled dog has no self defence other than its owner kicking seven bells out of the transgressor.

 

[JonnyG]

Hi clive and yep i tend to agree with you, but atleast the law breakers those owners who are not resonable dog owners would surely stick out like a sore thumb and make easy target for the boys in blue,?

 

[Damian]

Quote " would surely stick out like a sore thumb and make easy target for the boys in blue,?"

What "Boys in Blue"??
Unless you have been on another planet the number of "Boys in Blue" hasd been severely reduced and I want them dealing with serious crime, not running around after some owner whose dog is not muzzled.

Get real,,,for goodness sake.