I recently took a nice long walk at Klineline Park with my dog and was stunned by the number of individuals who apparently believe that the signs in the park, which direct path users to leash their pets, do not apply to them.
I confronted at least three people who were guilty of ignoring the signs, directing them to leash their pets. They all said variations of, “It’s OK, my dog won’t hurt anybody,” which is really not the point. There is a rule, and the rule says, “leash your pet.” The owner is not excused by the behavior of their pet; the rule says, “leash your pet.”
My dog would hurt somebody if the circumstances allowed it to, but I do not allow those circumstances, because I use a leash. What worries me when I encounter these people is that their dog is going to offer my dog an unsolicited and unwanted greeting, and then we will have an incident that would have been avoidable had others followed the rule.
The rule is really simple and without qualification. It says, “Leash your pet.” People really need to follow the rule.
