• Train your dog. A lot of the people illegally unleash their dogs because they cannot control their dogs on leash or they think their dogs don't enjoy leashed time. Yet taking the time to train is better exercise for a dog and bonding time for the person and the dog than playing fetch or running around off leash. If you see people like this in your neighborhood, talk to them and let them know there are myriads of ways to train a dog to walk or play nicely on a leash. If they have tried one or two or three methods, try another. New loose leash training ideas are published almost daily. The dog will be a better canine citizen and the the whole neighborhood will be a better place because of any training efforts.
  
• Run with your dog. There are just as many excuses why people can't run with their dog as to why they illegally unleash. There are so many different ways to mix it up when it comes to exercising your dog. I am not a runner, yet I have dogs who love to run. I dointervals with them, and mostly for them, but it is good for me too! My interval workout is as simple as a 20-30 minute brisk walk with 4 or 5 1-1/2 block runs. A few other great ideas to get running with your dog can be found here. In the city, way too many people illegally unleash because they say their yard is too small for fetch. I don't believe any space is too small for fetch; we play it in the hallway! Use one of the suggestions fromPamela and run backwards. Better yet, challenge your dog by playing nose work games in your small yard or in your home. Your dog is going to appreciate any time you spend with it in your yard or time spent training anywhere! All of these fit mind and body options are better for your dog, you and your community than illegally unleashing.

• Use the off-leash park or go where it is legal to be off-leash. There is plenty of space in the country for dogs to run where there are no leash laws. The above suggestion about training still applies since there is rarely a place with no leash law that doesn't still require your dog to be under voice control. All cities now not only have many doggy day care facilities, but the ability to rent space in the facility for play or training. It is difficult for me to advise to use municipal off-leash parks since I, personally, have made a decision to stop going to off-leash parks but there are safe ways to use them. Some examples are: do some research and go during off-peak hours, go with friends so your dog will play safely with dogs it knows, play fetch or train inside an exercise pen in a quiet corner of the off-leash park (hint, hint lady with the jumpies course set up in a "leash your pets" park!) One of the best options in finding somewhere safe for your dog to play is to get to know your neighbors. Every neighborhood has someone with a large fenced yard that they never use. Maybe their dog passed away. Maybe their kids moved out. Maybe they would be thrilled to have you and your dog over each evening to play or train in their yard. You won't know until you ask. I have had several dog loving neighbors without dogs in their lives offer their yards as play space and I didn't even have to ask!
  
• Join or start a dog meetup group. Many groups meet in off-leash parks and joining them makes the park a better and safer place to go. There are groups with members or coordinators who offer their large, fenced yard for meet-ups and play times. Starting or joining a group is a great way to meet neighbors with space for safe, legal dog play, gain a community in dog training and behavior and just have fun. Craigslist and your neighborhood blog or website are other good doggie play group resources. Good old neighborhood bulletin boards often have play group signs posted too.
  
• Use a long line. Unfortunately the City of Seattle as well as most surrounding areas leash laws say that your dog must be on a no longer than eight foot leash. Portland is the same and Vancouver, BC too (but Vancouver has SO many legal off-leash options!) Some surrounding areas have more vague leash laws that would allow for a longer line. Even if you are breaking the law to play fetch or train your dog with a long line, it is still a much safer and more responsible option than allowing your dog to run free. In my previous post, I pointed out that illegally unleashing is dangerous, a way to ensure tougher laws like no dogs in parks leashed or not will be passed and just plain rude. Playing or training on a long line you are accomplishing two out of three tasks to being a better dog owner and member of your community and that is always better than none. And it is unlikely that neighbors, upon seeing a person training or playing on a long line, will be prompted to push to create laws to keep even leashed dogs out of parks.

Any other ideas? How do you safely, legally and respectfully train, exercise and have fun with your dog? Hopefully we can all work together to keep Cascadia a dog friendly paradise and end illegal unleashing by finding ways to safely and responsibly spend quality time with our dogs.

Cascadian Nomads was not asked to or paid to promote any businesses or organizations mentioned and linked in this post. We're just sharing information or stuff we like!

friends and neighbors, both dog loving and not-so-dog-loving (yes, I do have a few of those,) I no longer illegally unleash my dogs. Further, all other dog owners should stop doing it too. Here's why:

• It's dangerous. I know. You're going to say your dog has a 100% reliable recall or a 100% reliable heel. The Border Collie that prompted me to write this post was possibly one of those dogs. It's owner had set up a jumpies course in the park. A park with "leash your pets" signs posted everywhere. This dog, though, even when another illegally off-leash chocolate lab approached, remained in it's down stay. So this Border Collie was very well trained. But what about the other people using the park or passers-by? Do they know how to train a dog to be 100% reliable on commands? Or do they walk by and think, "wow, cool, I am going bring my dog to the park to practice agility too!?" Did I mention  this park is on a major, four lane arterial? Yeah. I'm not even going to bother ranting about the chocolate lab, that completely ignored it's owner while she skipped after him giggling high pitched "oh you silly, come on over here"s. And what if that chocolate lab had aggressively approached the laying down, obeying it's command Border Collie while both owners were far away? So maybe your dog is great. 100%. But please think. Think about the danger to your dog and to other dogs. Think about the dangers to other people using the park and in your community. Think about other animals (birds, squirrels, seals.) Think it through.

• It's illegal. Yes, I'm stating the obvious. But have any frequent breakers of this law thought about what this means? When laws or rules are frequently broken, and when the authorities can't enforce them, stricter laws are put in place. Remember the kid in school who always spoke out of turn and made the whole class miss recess or a field trip? I view illegally off-leash dog owners as this sort of spoiler. There are many, many cities throughout the country where dogs are not allowed in parks at all. I have been in these cities and cringed. I don't want this to happen here in Cascadia. So I obey the rules. It's that simple.
• It's rude. I know. You're going to say your dog is friendly or you thought no one else was in the park/on the sidewalk. It's a public space, in a city. Of course there are other people in it and not all of them like your dog even if it is friendly. I have a good friend who lives right across the street from Westcrest Park in Seattle. It is a great forested park with lovely trails and a playground. It also has a large, designated off-leash area. Because so many people chose to use the entire park as an off-leash area, my friend does not use this park. Many of her neighbors don't either. People are frequently bit along the trails. Dogs often get lost in the woods. And for what? More off-leash space than the already huge fenced area? Again, all you need to do is think. Think about the child, and the mother of the child, that is terrified of dogs. Think about people with shy or reactive dogs. Even if your dog is 100%, and comes back to you or stays next to you, or is super friendly, your off-leash dog, even if just for a moment, has stressed those people out. It's just inconsiderate.
  

My time on the soap box is nearing it's end. All I am asking off my fellow Cascadians who frequently unleash their dogs illegally is to think it through. Not just the moment. Not just the possibility of a ticket. But the future of our public lands, parks and Pacific Northwestern dogtopia. We live in the most dog friendly place in the country. There are so many wonderful things for our dogs to experience, indoors and out, on-leash and off, and I, personally, would like to keep it that way.

Cascadian Nomads was not asked to or paid to promote any businesses or organizations mentioned and linked in this post. We're just sharing information or stuff we like!