Serious question for off-leash dog owners

Where does the sense of entitlement come from? This is a real question, and not meant to be inflammatory. If you allow your dog to run around in public, under the control of no one, and your state or local laws and ordinances clearly state this to be a criminal offense, then you must feel that the law does not apply to you. Imagine any of the following scenarios: 1)Your off-leash dog attacks a person or on-leash dog; 2)Your off-leash dog is attacked by an on-leash dog that your dog approached; 3)Your off-leash dog is run over by an automobile. These are not freak accidents or unlikely scenarios. On the contrary, these things happen on a regular basis. And you are responsible for anything that happens to your dog, or as a result of your dog, while it is not on a leash and not on your property. And I can tell you from personal experience that it is not difficult to keep a dog exercised on a leash. Then why do so many dog owners neglect their responsibilities, with so great a risk and so little benefit? Honestly, off-leash owners, I would like you to explain it to me, please.

When we talk of off leash exercise in the UK we do not mean a loose dog being allowed to run free. Most of us socialise our dogs to be able to interact with other dogs and people, and may allow them to play with other friendly dogs in suitable areas - such as parkland. It is illegal to have dogs loose on roads in this country too.
I think most UK dog owners feel that the ability to have free running exercise is important for canine mental and physical health, especially in the working dog. Unless you are a CaniX fan, it is difficult to build muscle solely by lead exercise. This does not mean that our dogs are out of control. A dog should always be responsive to the owner's command, and should learn to listen, recall, and perform an instant stop, (which could save your dog's life), before being released in a public area.

What is this nonsense? My off leash dog is extremely well trained. He does therapy and would never attack anybody or anything. His recall is perfect and he comes on cue. Vicious dogs that attack by merely being approached by another dog need to be muzzled. I muzzle mine so she won't attack an unsuspecting friendly dog or child that spooks her. She is leashed at all times.

Nice way to assume absurd nonsense. By the way, I'm not ultra fit and my dog can't run like he wants leashed to me and he can't swim, either. Well trained dogs can be allowed off lead without an afterthought. It's about being responsible a and training and knowing your dog.

I used to let Sophie off leash in our local nature reserve as many local dog owners do. There's a friendly understanding among everyone that only gentle sociable dogs walk the trails unleashed. Everyone is a regular and you get to know dogs and their owners. Sadly as Sophie has grown older she has grown more neurotic and is too unstable to be around other dogs anymore. I miss the times we had up there, but I can't ever trust her off leash again. Callie has a history of human aggression so I would NEVER allow him off leash in public.

On the other paw we have neighbors as you describe. They have an AmBull and a Newfie that are apparently put out the door during the day while the family is at work. Animal control has fined them repeatedly and we've grown accustomed to grabbing leashes and leading them home when we see them. But yes it's totally irresponsible in that situation. This is a high traffic area and these are big dogs. If someone hit them the owners would probably be throwing lawsuits all over when it's their fault to begin with. Very sad situation...

Having a dog of lead doesn't mean it's going to be out of controlle, my dog has between 60-90 mins of solid fetch every night to keep him looking how I want and to send him to sleep when we get home, how would I manage that on a lead ?
If the British government brought in a lead law for public places tbh I would still let him of his lead to run and play

I live in the middle of the countryside but rarely let my two off lead unless we're in the middle of a field where I have a good all round vision. It's not because they have poor recall,but because being an agricultural area there's a constant traffic of heavy farm machinery. Some of the harvesters for example are extremely wide and the driver is so high up in his cabin, he can't possibly see if say, a dog or human steps out in front of him. Fortunately, I have a quarter of an acre of enclosed land for the dogs to run and play so they're definitely not missing out on " off lead" time.

Welcome to Dogsey
Since its a site for "Dogs Lovers" and in my experience extremely responsible owners,I think you're pretty much preaching to the converted( so to speak )Don't know anyone on here who let's their dog run riot and cause mayhem.Come to think of it,it have never come across it where I live either Thank Goodness
We have several places here where it is possible to let your dog off leash,to interact with other dogs and have a real good run about.Great places to make new friends too,both canine and human,the dogs love it

as others have said off leash in most places = accompanied by someone in the UK you would be referring to people who allow their dogs to 'roam' unsupervised. You wont find any of them here and to be fair its been a long time since ive seen a dog that has been 'allowed' to roam. A few months back i came across an old lab potterng along in a village i drie through enroute to work with no owner in sight so I stopped and caught him and called the number on his collar, turns out he had been accidentally let out when a visitor didnt shut the gate behind them.

As is usually the case with these things: it will be a few irresponsible owners that spoil it for everyone else.
I get so much enjoyment out of seeing the dogs run around free, have a good sniff, play and just run full out for the sake of it and getting a near perfect recall has always been my main priority in training for all the dogs I've owned.
I would be very sad if it came to the point where dogs could not be led off lead anywhere anymore.

Dear Pisaster oh - You asked to have it explained to you, here it is. You will read above the various posts by people in the UK all of whom are basically singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak. Free roaming dogs, as opposed to dogs which are allowed off lead under supervision, are a great rareity in the UK. Any roaming unsupervised in suburban areas would be quickly picked up by Dog Wardens and taken to our equivalent of your dog pounds. The vast majority of dog owners who post on this site are responsible and sensible and wouldn't dream of allowing a dog off lead if it was likely to cause damage or distress to other animals or people. Where I think your problems are coming from is people who, as you say yourself, go out and leave the dog to roam or simply throw it out the door without a care as to what it may be up to or doing. I think you will find that these are the same sort of people who drop litter, speed in cars, park inconsiderately, use abusive language, fail to discipline their children and in general have no respect for any laws either man-made or moral. The roaming dog is just another adjunct to their feckless, heedless shabby existence. Doubt that you will find one roaming from a law abiding household with decent people and well behaved children. I see it as merely another symptom and not a specific ailment, if you get my meaning. Thank you for posting.