27 replies to this topic

[kayfray]

I understand what the leash law is supposed to do..............
however saying the ONLY place our dogs are allowed to run freely in Folsom is the dog park is rediculous!
The park is WAY too small for the amount of dogs (and size of some dogs!)
It got trashed right away, mucky dirty, and both my dogs got Giardia from there.
It took two months and hundreds of dollars to cure.
I will not be taking them back.
I cant believe with the lakes and trails, we can't let out dogs run free and jump in the water like they are supposed to do, without risking a fine from the dog nazi.
Ill take my chances! It's cheaper than curing Giardia!!
Dogs, like children, are supposed to run free once in a while to "let it all out!"
If your dog is agressive or obnoxious, get a grip. but most dogs are usually pretty well behaved.

[chris v]

Keep in mind it is also for safety of other people... I have a neighbor who lets his dog out all the time... and there have been a couple times when it was running hard at my son when he was younger... Scary situation, the dog almost got kicked.

[ducky]

I understand what the leash law is supposed to do..............
however saying the ONLY place our dogs are allowed to run freely in Folsom is the dog park is rediculous!
The park is WAY too small for the amount of dogs (and size of some dogs!)
It got trashed right away, mucky dirty, and both my dogs got Giardia from there.
It took two months and hundreds of dollars to cure.
I will not be taking them back.
I cant believe with the lakes and trails, we can't let out dogs run free and jump in the water like they are supposed to do, without risking a fine from the dog nazi.
Ill take my chances! It's cheaper than curing Giardia!!
Dogs, like children, are supposed to run free once in a while to "let it all out!"
If your dog is agressive or obnoxious, get a grip. but most dogs are usually pretty well behaved.

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience at the dog park.

I do believe your dog could also just as easily get giardia from river and lake water. I tried to find the fines for letting your dog loose in water at the American River Parkway, but I couldn't. If I remember right they are pretty stiff, around $500, which I don't think is very cheap.

I agree it would be nice to have a place at the lake where you could let your dog go without feeling like a criminal. Up in Seattle they have a great dog park by Lake Washington I think it is. Too bad we can't have something like that here.

Another thing to consider on our trails and not leashing your dog is that it's not fair to the other trailgoers who do leash their dog. Your dog might be perfectly friendly, but other people's dogs may not be and then they end up wrestling with their dog while you get a hold of yours.

[Dave Burrell]

I love dogs, have two of them myself and I fully understand how its nice to let them run off leash and have fun. There's a time and a place for it all - I wouldn't do that in the city but out at a remote area by the lake when there aren't a lot of people around should be ok.

Like Chris V said leash laws are for safety. I've had aggressive dogs run at me and its not cool - either I'm going to get hurt or the dog's gonna get a kick to the head to stop it - I don't want to be responsible for injuring someone's dog because they could not keep control of it.

[chris v]

I am a dog lover too by the way...
Also, in El Dorado County you are allowed to shoot dogs that are bothering livestock.

[Al Waysrite]

These posts are an example of a problem I've seen at the dog park and when walking my dog. People think of dog behavior like human behavior. Dogs are naturally affectionate to humans. Barking does not mean aggressiveness, it's just the only way dogs have of communicating or getting your attention. A dog running does not mean it will hurt you, even a dog jumping on you is doing so because it's showing affection.

At the dog park when dogs run and jump on each other, and even growl they're just acting naturally as dogs. People need to let them be. The only time they need to be separated is when they actually bite and hold onto the other dog. I've taken my dog to dog parks in the area regularly for the past 3 years and seen this happen only once.

I'm sorry your dog got sick but there's really no way to say with any certainty it got sick from the dog park. If sickness were bred there we'd have an outbreak of certain dog diseases in this area, and as far as I know, there have not been any such outbreaks.

[kayfray]

I understand what the leash law is supposed to do..............
however saying the ONLY place our dogs are allowed to run freely in Folsom is the dog park is rediculous!
The park is WAY too small for the amount of dogs (and size of some dogs!)
It got trashed right away, mucky dirty, and both my dogs got Giardia from there.
It took two months and hundreds of dollars to cure.
I will not be taking them back.
I cant believe with the lakes and trails, we can't let out dogs run free and jump in the water like they are supposed to do, without risking a fine from the dog nazi.
Ill take my chances! It's cheaper than curing Giardia!!
Dogs, like children, are supposed to run free once in a while to "let it all out!"
If your dog is agressive or obnoxious, get a grip. but most dogs are usually pretty well behaved.

current "quote" on fines start at $85- There are actually setting up a "tip line" for people to call if people are violating the rules. (rediculous)
Im not talking about in your neighborhood, on paved shared bike trails, etc This i understand and comply.
Im talking about open spaces: lake, dirt trails etc
And im not talking crazy out of control dogs- It be nice to not have to hold back 150 pounds of dogs while i run..............they dont go too far from me but geez, they gotta be free once in awhile too!!

[kayfray]

current "quote" on fines start at $85- There are actually setting up a "tip line" for people to call if people are violating the rules. (rediculous)
Im not talking about in your neighborhood, on paved shared bike trails, etc This i understand and comply.
Im talking about open spaces: lake, dirt trails etc
And im not talking crazy out of control dogs- It be nice to not have to hold back 150 pounds of dogs while i run..............they dont go too far from me but geez, they gotta be free once in awhile too!!

And by the way, the dog park IS way too small for the area it serves., especially if thats the ONLY place they are allowed to roam.

[Dave Burrell]

These posts are an example of a problem I've seen at the dog park and when walking my dog. People think of dog behavior like human behavior. Dogs are naturally affectionate to humans. Barking does not mean aggressiveness, it's just the only way dogs have of communicating or getting your attention. A dog running does not mean it will hurt you, even a dog jumping on you is doing so because it's showing affection.

I've had dogs for a couple of decades, I can tell when a dog is running twords me to be affectionate and when its being aggressive. They're not alway super friendly, and its a mistake to assume that all the time.

[chris v]

I've had dogs for a couple of decades, I can tell when a dog is running twords me to be affectionate and when its being aggressive. They're not alway super friendly, and its a mistake to assume that all the time.

Not only that... but dogs act differently around children and adults.

[Dave Burrell]

Not only that... but dogs act differently around children and adults.

they sure do! related story: years ago I was at the beach with my kids camping, my dogs were back by the tent. A tiny nipper dog trotted by and got super agro and started running and growling twords my daughter, before I could even get to her - my own dog bolted in front of my kid and knocked that dog back about four feet. Needless to say the owners came up afterwards all worked up as if I had done something wrong. Stupid @$^@!#r's if that dog bit my kid I would have snapped it in half and beat the owners over the head with it.... and I'm a serious dog lover but I cannot tolerate people who don't know how to control their own dogs.

Some dogs can do great off leash - others are too stupid and it should never be allowed.

[Al Waysrite]

I've had dogs for a couple of decades, I can tell when a dog is running twords me to be affectionate and when its being aggressive. They're not alway super friendly, and its a mistake to assume that all the time.

But one should assume the dog is NOT aggressive, and don't react with force or aggression unless the dog actually does something that can cause harm.

[Dave Burrell]

But one should assume the dog is NOT aggressive, and don't react with force or aggression unless the dog actually does something that can cause harm.

I agree, but sometimes that's hard to determine in split seconds as a dog is rushing at you. I'd rather block the dog then wait to get bitten to find out if it was being friendly or agro.

Sometimes however, it is very easy to tell how a dog is going to be based on its trot, facial expression and sounds its making.

The smartest thing anyone can do if a dog looks like its being friendly is to hold out your hand and let it smell you, once the formalities are exchanged the dog is usually very friendly

[a little bean]

But one should assume the dog is NOT aggressive, and don't react with force or aggression unless the dog actually does something that can cause harm.

Wow, you are just spouting madness here, dude. If a dog is running at you at full speed, I would definietly assume agression. I'm not going to respond with force, but it's better to assume agression and stay safe then assume friendliness when it's the opposite. Most people can tell the difference, but if you can't, assume in the direction that protects. Also, even if the dog is being affectionate, as a person who barely weighs over 100 lbs, if an 80 lbs dog was running at me, I'd be hurt regardless.

And I don't care if you're dog is the friendliest dog in the world, its still an animal that has instincts. You never know when a dog will suddenly go into defense mode. That's why we have leash laws. And I know that my small dog, who is always leashed in public, gets very defensive around larger dogs. It's for the safety of both our animals that we have leash laws. Maybe your dog is great with other dogs, but if mine freaks out because your lab is running at him, and he bites, is that my responsibility then? Are you going to blame me because your dog has been bitten? I'm sure that you will.

[Bill Z]

I am a dog lover too by the way...
Also, in El Dorado County you are allowed to shoot dogs that are bothering livestock.

True, although I think the sign actually says "worrying" livestock. I think the interpretation is, if your dog is loose and calmly walking along side a fence without a care in the world, but the sheep on the other side of the fence are going bananas anyway, your dog could be shot as the livestock were "worried".

I've gone backpacking with my dogs many times, I have a leash, but prefer to not use it.
I've been told by many rangers, as long as you demonstrate a verbal leash, they won't ticket you for not using a leash. They still want you to have one to tie the animal up when needed, but the rangers aren't going to harrass you if your dog is well behaved and you have control over it. But this is backcountry I'm talking about, i wouldn't expect the same treatment in parks with lots of people present.