Digestible Dog NewsNips™

Empty Leash

The Hanovers were taking their dog to the veterinarian when they stopped to let the dog out to do her business before getting into town...

Stella Starr, Pet Perspectives

October 7, 2024

The problem is that they didn't put a leash on her. I don’t need my crystal to “see” them with an empty leash but I can’t imagine the horror of seeing their dog run over right in front of their eyes.

The report didn’t say if they had any children with them. I hope not.

I’m “the cat lady” but writing for these dog-sites, I understand the importance of leash training a dog. My cats are selectively deaf, but I know dogs are easy to train. This owner said she was “always a little skittish.”

I hear you thinking “That sounds like a good reason to keep her on a leash!” I’ll bet both of us have heard dog owners say “She won’t go potty on a leash." That just means they didn’t bother teaching her to do her business when on leash or in a harness.

And why use a harness? Those things are made for pulling, like plowing a field or for carriage horses in the park. So a harness TEACHES a dog to pull.

www.TheDogPlace.org has a whole section on dog training. I remember one of their columnists saying “Only horses wear harnesses.”

That stuck in my mind so I tell my dog-owning clients that I can predict a problem if they use a harness. That gets a raised eyebrow. I then explain that any dog will pull against a harness and that could lead owners to getting rid of the dog. I try to make a soft joke out of it but they usually get the point.

As a cat owner I admit to not being an expert about dogs but I don’t need to consult my crystal ball to know that “what we do today can change tomorrow.” Any person, with or without “foresight” would predict that a bad outcome follows bad judgement.

My neighbor who teases me about my craft says “It’s in the cards.” I believe that became a saying when canasta and poker were so popular, but it is no less true today. If you don’t look where you’re going when driving your car, you are going to have an accident. Knowing that does not take foresight.

If you don’t train your pets, like children, they will cause problems. What’s that? Oh dear, I can hear my school-teacher friend saying “that IS the problem.”

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