The Importance of Keeping Your Dog At Home
Be Safe! Use a Leash!
Dogs do not need freedom to roam!
When I was a child, people thought that dogs needed their freedom, and most dogs ran free. And most dogs stayed home - or so I thought back then. As an adult, I realize that it really only seemed that most dogs stayed home. This was simply a matter of natural selection. The dogs that stayed home were the dogs that survived, so these were the ones that I got to know. The ones that ran off were the ones that got run over, poisoned, shot, and thrown in the creek in a gunny sack.
Fortunately, today we live in a different world. Most people know that dogs need a secure home a lot more than they need freedom. It is the responsibility of anyone who chooses to have a dog to provide just that! If you are going to have a dog, you must have the wherewithal to keep your dog securely contained!
Of course, the best thing is to have a securely fenced yard where your dog can run loose, but if you don’t you must be willing to make a commitment to having your dog on leash every single time you step foot outside your door. If you are unable to make that commitment, you can count on your dog running off. That is just what dogs do. Even dogs that usually stay at home will run off to chase a cat, or to dash across the street to see a friend.
My neighbors’ dogs ran across the railroad tracks after a cat with disastrous results. One of my own dogs lost her life when she saw a friend and bolted across the street unexpectedly. My current dog, who loves me very much and is a good dog in every other way, will leap over the fence and run off as if her tail were on fire if she is ever outside off leash! So, here is what I do to be sure my dogs never slip away.
I keep my gates closed and locked at all times. This will keep one of my dogs from leaving. For my other dog, I keep a slip leash by the door, and I put it on her every time I open the door. I keep my dogs inside with me when I am inside. When I am outside, I keep my leaping and running dog on a slip line that allows her to run back and forth across the fenced yard, and I let my other dog run free inside the fence.
My dogs are never outside without me. They are never outside without some kind of constraint (fence or leash). I take my dogs for a two mile bike ride on leash every day. In this way, they get plenty of exercise and time to socialize and spend time with me.
The days are gone when you could just open the door and let the dog out. In fact, those days never existed, people just didn’t expect dogs to live long in the old days and accepted the high mortality rate as the natural order of things!
Today we live in a busy, dangerous world where a loose dog can lose it’s life or get into trouble very quickly. Many times that trouble can lead to a lawsuit for you! If you are going to have a dog, it is essential that you understand that you must be responsible for keeping your dog contained and under control at all times for the protection of the dog, the community, and yourself.
Copyright:SuzanneBennett:June 13, 2009
