I was coming home from shopping with my little boy in the car yesterday and there was very nearly a pile up at the end of my street.

At the end of my street there is a man who ownes a chow.  The dog was off the lead and just ran straight in front of everybody's car to get to a dog on the other side of the road. The dog on the otherside of the road was on a lead and it's owner was not impressed.  The guy was calling his dog, from the opposite side of the road, telling the dog to get home and waving a chain link lead at it the dog saw him comming and legged it across the road and down towards his house.  I go across the junction thinking that the dog was being held and the guy's missus comes out of the house and instead of trying to catch their dog steps into the middle of the road to stop me so that I didn't hit their dog.  Their dog by this time was running further away from them and at a hell of a pace too.  She was just lucky that I have car with very good brakes.  If it had been any of the youngsters who race up and down the street she wouldn't have stood a chance. 

Ooh I was so tempted.  The chow must be about 9-12 months old know as one of the parents up the school has the brother from the litter and they have no control over him either.  They think that if you go shouting and chasing the dog when he has got loose and then shouting and hitting him when he returns this is going to stop him from misbehaving.  I have tried to help them and have offered my services to help train him but they just don't listen. 

We seem to be seeing an awful lot of this lately.  What is happening to people's sense of responsibility when it comes to dog ownership? 

If they know what the dogs are like why don't they keep them under control especially in a built-up area and on a busy road. 

Naomi
<<<What is happening to people's sense of responsibility when it comes to dog ownership?  >>>

Someone people dont think they need any :rolleyes:

There is a couple who live oposite me who own a Bishon frise.It seems to be running about freely and barking at everything near the road.The other day I got back from walking my dog and it ran accross the road to us and just barked at my dog.It had no collar so I couldn't get hold  of it to stop it running back in to the road.Another neighbour tried to block it's way to the road(it's very busy).The man finaly appeared  with a rope in his hand and started chatting away as if there was no sense of urgency!I asked him if he could get the dog to sit then perhaps he could get hold of it before it ran back in to the road -his responce"I don't speak French,he dosen't listen to me"I thought he was joking but he was deadly serious!!!
The dog seems to have absolutely no training whatsoever-even sit!They have had him from a pup and all he does is yap all day long.My Boxer waches him from our front window and looks at me as if to say"what IS his problem?"I'd love to explain to him that it's his dozy owners!!