Should dogs be allowed in public areas?

Question

Last weekend, I saw a child bitten by somebody else's leashed dog and I ask the question....why? I just looked up statistics and saw that almost one million Americans required medical treatment for dog bites last year. Am I wrong to say dogs in public are an infringement on the rights of others?

Answer 1

I think that having a well trained dog is public is fine. I take my dog with me everywhere and she's never even growled at someone. But she's also obedient and non-aggressive.

The statistic you mention doesn't say how many of those dogs were aggressive, were possibly being taunted, and possibly just felt threatened. That's why it's an amazing idea to always ask before you pet someones dog.

The owners know their dogs better than anyone. If anything it's the owners fault because they brought an aggressive dog in public.

Answer 2

yea thats true

they shouldn't be allowed in public areas

they should stay at home and eat biscuits :)

Answer 3

Dogs should not be allowed in public areas.

Answer 4

offleash i must  agree,, but  children  must  also  be trained  not  to  go too near to  dogs  they  dont  know  or  to  agitate them as  so  many  young  kids  do. they  put  their  hands  straight  out  over  ther  animals  head to  pet  them  and  that  is  just  provocative  to  a  dog

for  anyone  who  doenst  know  how  to  handle  dogs  . you bend  down  and  put  your  arm  out  at  your  side  and  motion  the  dog  to  approah  you.  you  do  not  approach  the  dog especially  when  chained  since  he  has  no place  to  go  he  will defend.

that training is down to parents

dog owners  are responsible  to  obey  the  laws and  if  in  an  offleash  area,  people are  just  as  responsible  for  their  own  behavior as  the  owners  are  for  their  pets  behavior.

its  not  like  you  wander  into  an offleash  area by  accident.  they  are  well  signed. any  children  who  cant  read  should  not  be  left alone  anyway

Answer 5

only people that are blind should have dogs and public places all ways that is the law but what people don't know is you can not ever pet the dog they are trained never ever to bite you unless you are harming the owner of the dog

Answer 6

I think you should be allowed to take your dog in outdoor public places on a leash, but if your dog bites it is your own responsibility to train it or pay the stranger's hospital bills that got bit.

Answer 7

Grow a brain "crash" the kid probably didnt do anything. Only service dogs should be aloud for safety reasons.

Answer 8

If they are trained to be in public. If they can't do public situations, they don't need to be in public.

Answer 9

A parent should teach their child to ask permission before petting a strange dog. Dogs often feel threatened when approached by a stranger while on leash because they feel they're trapped and can't run if they need to. Some dogs also don't like children because children are usually not very nice to dogs.

I don't think there should be a law banning dogs from public areas such as parks and sidewalks as long as they are leashed.

And as someone else said, there are kids who should be banned from public areas, or at least parents of some of the little tyrants.

Answer 10

How silly. Then where would one walk the dog?

I am absolutely with next? on this one. I have seen children taunt, throw things and bully dogs to the point of abusing them, but the dog is so well-trained that it doesn;t bite to defend itself. These children obviously are not trained well enough to appear in public.

Most dogs, even poorly trained ones, will not bite without being provoked. Did the child just attempt to walk past the dog, or did it run over to the dog, yelling, "Look, a doggie!" then proceed to roughly handle the dog and jump on its back, without a word to the owner to see if it was OK? (I have seen kids do this with my dog and have had to tell them to back off.)

It is common sense not to approach a dog you don't know without permission from the owner. Then you approach as described above, so the animal does not feel like you are threatening or confronting it. Unfortunately, not many people exhibit common sense, so they get bitten.

That said, an owner whose dog bites someone should be paying some medical bills. If the dog has bitten a few times, maybe they shouldn't own a dog untilt hey learn how to be responsible about it. But that doesn't mean don't let dogs out in public.

Answer 11

I say only Service Dogs should be allowed in public places.  You know seeing eye dog for the blind.  Service dogs for the handicapped. etc.

Answer 12

No, dogs are better behaved than most children and they certainly need to be allowed in parks. The child who was bitten probably teased the dog which is why kids get bitten in the first place, they are out of control and some of them are cruel to animals. And it is never wise to go up to a strange dog and pet it without asking the owner if it's OK. Dogs protect their owners and will bite if someone makes a sudden move or represents a threat to their owner or, as I said before, if the dog is teased.

I have seen children that shouldn't be allowed in public but never a dog.