So mad! irresponsible boxer owners

[Furface]

wow you guys wouldn't like it here then. We have several open fields and woods, and all the dog walkers have their dogs off the lead, if you meet one, fine, they find their own order and way. If someone comes towards mine/me with a dog on the lead I will automatically put mine on, so to avoid any confrontation, as dogs always react more when on the lead. but other than that they are off galloping around

 

[Mesquite]

Oooh, those freaking annoying little dogs. I used to live across the street from some people who had a mean little chihuahua that they let run loose. Well, one day I was out working in my front yard, minding my own business, and the neighbors come out with their dog. The dog races across the street towards me barking and snarling and gets hit by a car. That was the end of that little dog. Too bad his owners weren't responsible! Honestly, I think they blamed me!

 

[darwinsmom]

Sigh. Well Max was out loose again tonight. This time I spotted him just as Darwin and I were leaving so I put Darwin back inside before he spotted Max and went to collect Max.

He seems like a really friendly, sweet dog. Unfortunately his owner is a complete idiot. Max didn't have a collar, just this plastic band with a shock device attached. I walked him up the street to his home, where I found the woman from the other night and another man (who is not the owner) just leaving to go look for Max. I told them firmly that the owner needed to secure his dog, that I was the person from the previous evening's incident and that if I saw the dog out again I would call Animal Control. I lectured that it was dangerous for Max to be out and if something happened it would be the owner's fault because Max was roaming at large. The man was very agreeable. He told me I should call Animal Control, that maybe he would (the woman was not happy about this) and that the owner was neglectful and there was a reason the dog was always trying to escape. The owner was not at home.

Obviously my first priority is the safety of my dogs (and myself) but I feel so bad for this poor boxer with such a terrible owner. I feel like I shouldn't call Animal Control yet since I said I wouldn't. Plus I don't know what they would do besides come out and give him a warning. Also not sure what to do if I see Max loose again, which, odds are, I will. I really don't want to hand him over to Animal Control (he didn't have any tags on either.) Maybe I should approach the owner about giving up Max to a rescue or someone who actually will take care of the dog. But I am not sure I want to get that involved, frankly. I've got enough on my plate right now.

Thanks to boxerworld forums for giving me a place to vent.

-Karlyn

 

[Hordicant]

Unfortunate, but not everyone can be smart, intelligent owners. Thus when I walk Argus around my area I am carrying my pistol with me. I live in a somewhat over-populated country area. A lot of folks around me have large pastures for horses and farm animals, heck one guy even raises turkeys. Problem is there's a ton of owners who do not properly contain their animals, let alone train them correctly. So as paranoid as it seems I carry my service pistol with me when I take Argus on our 2 mile walk/jog.

My safety priority is me and my dog. Call me cruel, but I will not hesitate to put down an aggressive dog that charges me or my boy.

 

[maxandtonka]

ahh I have been there!

Sorry that happened to you! I have been there also! I like to walk my 2 boxers at the same time, but its hard to do. I usually try to walk my kids on gentle leaders if I am walking them both, sometimes it helps. However I know my kids get so excited when they see other pups, so I usually walk one at a time unless it is early or late at night when I know that nobody is around to distract them. I have been trying the leave it thing also when I see other dogs, or kids I dont know. They do pretty well I keep treats on hand when they do a good job at ignoring other pups.

 

[darwinsmom]

Well, I haven't seen Max loose again, although my neighbor told me she saw his owner trying unsuccessfully to chase him down early one morning. Still feel kinda bad for the pup, but at least he doesn't seem to be getting out as frequently.

I've been using treats on walks to keep Darwin's attention on me and it has been working well. But we have also been trying to avoid dogs on leashes as Darwin was recently diagnosed with boxer cardiomyopathy and I want to keep his stress/anxiety levels low as we wait to see how he responds to the new medication. We've also cut down on the walks to just one a day for the time being. Darwin is not a fan.

-Karlyn