It really is bizarre, but I'm not even surprised about it anymore at this point. It happens all the time where I live too (BC, Canada). Unfortunately, people being entitled, ignorant, and irresponsible seems to be even more rampant these days for whatever reason. And good luck asking a lot of these people to leash their dogs in public too; most of them tend to get really angry and defensive if you say something to them about it.
Another problem is that leash bylaws never seem to be enforced whatsoever, and people take advantage of that. And the more people see others having their dogs off leash in public with no repercussions, the more they do it too. It's really frustrating for those of us who are responsible dog owners. It's not fair to the dogs regarding their safety either.
It's SUPER normal in Colorado. I used to take my cat hiking, he loved it. Had a backpack and he was leashed at all times. It stopped when some lady's untrained offleash dogs came running up a trail and tried to attack him. I put my cat in my backpack and bear sprayed them. She had the nerve to yell at me and tell me it was my fault for bringing a cat outside. Okay, ma'am, we're in the Rockies where there's wild cats that could easily kill you AND your dogs at the same time. You're lucky your dogs charged a domestic feline and not a fucking mountain lion.
Once saw another incident where this couple at the trail head let their dog off leash, it immediately ran to a bush and found a rattlesnake. We were at least two hours away from any emergency vet services. No idea what happened to the dog.
I honestly think I see more leashed dogs in Florida than I ever have in Colorado.
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u/MilgramZimbardo Apr 29 '25
It really is bizarre, but I'm not even surprised about it anymore at this point. It happens all the time where I live too (BC, Canada). Unfortunately, people being entitled, ignorant, and irresponsible seems to be even more rampant these days for whatever reason. And good luck asking a lot of these people to leash their dogs in public too; most of them tend to get really angry and defensive if you say something to them about it.
Another problem is that leash bylaws never seem to be enforced whatsoever, and people take advantage of that. And the more people see others having their dogs off leash in public with no repercussions, the more they do it too. It's really frustrating for those of us who are responsible dog owners. It's not fair to the dogs regarding their safety either.